Merlin Returns
by rawr52
Summary: Sequel to first Merlin fic, Merlin Uncovered. Merlin returns to Camelot. Enjoy!
1. From the Cave

**Merlin Returns**

**By rawr52**

**Enjoy!**

**So here it is, my next Merlin story! I hope you enjoy reading it and like it as much as the last one! So here's chapter one!**

Arthur sighed as he looked out of his window at the grounds stretching out beneath him. Camelot looked beautiful in the summer. The sun was up, the flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, and the streets were crowded with people, roaming aimlessly around, and basking in the summer sun, and yet, looking out from his window, Arthur was unable to feel any sense of happiness or contentment, only impatience.

There was a simple reason for the Prince's agitation. He was lonely. He missed Merlin. He never thought he'd say it, but he had to admit, the blundering fool did have his uses. As he thought of Merlin, he felt his hand reach down of its own accord to wrap itself around the opposite wrist, where the scars still remained from the manacles that had encircled his wrists during his imprisonment in the dungeons. Anyone would have thought that these scars would have annoyed him, but no. They were the only things he had which could remind him of Merlin, the only things that stopped from wondering whether it had all been a dream.

That, and the fact that Arthur's father was furious with him. Ever since Arthur had helped his manservant to escape Camelot, his father had been in a murderous rage. As well as throwing his son into the dungeons, he had also sent a team of his best trackers to search for Merlin, which only added to Arthur's worries. However, on being released from his spell in the dungeons, he was greeted with the happy news that neither hide nor hair had been spotted of Merlin since he had left, and although this did award Arthur a certain sense of satisfaction at first, the happy feeling was overruled by the fact that his father had put him under house-arrest.

Everywhere he went, he was tailed by a guard, and even when he decided to retire to his chambers at night, at least two guards where left standing outside his door. It was extremely irksome. Sighing heavily again, Arthur took one last irritated glance out of his window, before shutting the drapes on the midday sun, and slumping down onto his bed for a long and much-needed sleep.

Meanwhile, halfway down a cliff that no mortal could possibly reach, a young man sat in the entrance of a cave, gazing down in utter boredom at the green forest scenery beneath him, his mind a million miles away. As he sat there, his legs swinging over the edge of the cave mouth and his bright blue eyes glazed over, he replayed for the hundredth time the scene of his escape from Camelot in his head. He sighed heavily.

He could still hear the howls of a young maid piercing the night as he was tied to the stake in preparation to be burnt alive. He could still hear Uther's hard, gloating words echoing through his skull as the fire was about to be lit. He could still feel the rush of power that had shot through him as his eyes shone like liquid gold, and could still see the guard flying backwards off his feet as Merlin chanted the magic words, _"Hopa! Nes swelden wat leo!"_ He could still see the horror in Arthur's eyes as Merlin had enchanted the burning branch to fly over to him, ready to be picked from the air and used to burn Merlin at the stake. He could still hear his laughter echoing through the night air as, in a stomping of hooves, his horse rushed away from Camelot and the guards Merlin knew would soon be pursuing him, leaving the war-like sounds of sword on sword behind him. Still sighing, Merlin stood up and retreated back into the cave.

In the middle of the cave, stood a white marble pedestal, with a stone basin resting on top. Advancing on this pedestal, Merlin took the canteen from around his neck, and emptied the water into the basin. Then, he stretched his hand out over the water and mumbled a few indistinct words, his eyes shining like gold. Instantly, the water began to whorl around the basin, twisting and distorting into odd shapes and colours, until finally, the view of a dark room lay in the basin.

In this room a solitary candle sat on a table, its orange light flickering through the shadows, casting an orange glow about the room. Next to the table on which this candle resided was a four poster bed, crimson hangings draped over the sides. On the bed lay a young man, his eyes shut tight, and a frown distorting his otherwise handsome feature. This man was clearly having a troubled sleep.

Merlin sighed, took a quick glance at the man to make sure he was breathing, then released the flow of magic and turned back to the dark, empty cave. It was the second time that Merlin had checked on Arthur today, but he had to know that he was safe. If anything happened to him while Merlin was away, Merlin would hold himself personally responsible.

It was, after all, his destiny to watch over Arthur and make sure that he came to no harm, but it was a hard thing to do when Arthur was so far away and Merlin was hiding from Camelot's warrior's. He sighed again and returned to the basin. Again, muttering those same indistinguishable words, Merlin gazed intently at the water, and waited for it to take its shape. Finally the water cleared, but this time Merlin was not looking down at Arthur's chambers but his own. An old frail man stood in the doorway of Merlin's messy bedroom, the corners of his mouth turned down and a great sadness in his eyes. Merlin frowned, then with a twitch of his hand, changed the scene. He was happy to see that Gaius was safe and healthy, Merlin reflected as the water continued to swirl, but it pained him to see the old man so upset over his departure. His mind was soon turned from Gaius however, as another room came into view. In this room, were two, young, beautiful women. One of them, the taller of the two, was extremely pale, with dark wavy hair that made a huge contrast against her white face. She had fierce, piercing blue eyes with large bags beneath them, from lack of sleep. She seemed to be consoling the other woman, whom she was patting comfortingly on the bag. This second woman had brown skin and black curly hair. She had chocolate brown eyes and was decked out in a maid's apron. Merlin twitched his hand, and the voices of the two women filled the cave.

"Don't worry Gwen, he won't be gone forever. You heard what Arthur said, Merlin promised he'd be back."

"I know." Sighed the maid, looking forlorn. "I'm glad he managed to escape, but I miss him. You know?"

"I do know." Said Morgana, and she held Gwenivere's soft hand. "But he'll be back before long. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy the separation any more than we do."

Merlin smiled as he listened to Morgana's sensible words. It was nice to know that he was missed. Still smiling, Merlin twitched his hand one last time, and the water went blank.

**Hey, so firstly I wanna say sorry that took so long to write. Then I wanna say thanks for all the nice reviews from my first Merlin story and I hope you enjoy reading this one. Read on :)**


	2. Will You Listen?

Arthur jolted awake. Looking around he realised that he was lying, fully-clothed on his four poster bed. A strange orange light was flickering through the room and it took him a while to realise that he had forgotten to blow out his candle before he fell asleep. Cursing under his breath, he blew it quickly out. It was then that he realised what had woken him in the first place. One of the guards outside was knocking on the door with his spear, in an effort to get his attention. Quickly opening the drapes to allow the light to seep into the room, Arthur went to open the door.

"Sire." Said the guard with the spear. "The King requests your presence in his conference room as a matter of urgency. He-"

"I'm busy." Arthur said untruthfully, cutting him off. The guard hesitated before speaking again.

"He was most insistent, sire." He stammered, nervously.

"Uther is always insistent." Arthur snapped. "For example, he was _most_ insistent on throwing me in the dungeons and clapping my wrists in iron for trying to stop my friend from being killed. He was _most _insistent that I should not talk to him until I was ready to apologise for what I had done and help him in the hunt to recapture that same friend. I still have not apologised, and it is his orders that I may not speak to him until I do, so I am afraid I cannot go."

The guards looked at each other anxiously, then the one with the spear coughed self-consciously. "Sire, we are ordered to take you by force if you resist. We would rather not however, so we must urge you to go of your own free will."

Arthur glared at them angrily, "Never." He stated before turning to go back into his room. The guards took a deep breath before blocking his way. "Then we must take you, sire." The one with the spear said, regretfully. Arthur laughed slightly threateningly. "I'd like to see you try."

"Get off me, you idiots!" Arthur cried as he was frogmarched down the corridor to the conference hall. He had a mental image of the same thing happening to Merlin before his conference with the King. "Let me go, you maniacs."

"I'm sorry, sire." The spearless one said, sorrowfully, but made no move to let him go. "You were warned about what would happen if you chose not to comply with the King's wishes. I am merely following my orders.

"I don't give a damn about your orders! Unhand me!" But the two guards paid no notice to his protests, but continued to walk gravely down the corridors, practically dragging their Prince along with them. And it was in this manner that Arthur arrived at the conference hall.

Gwenivere, Morgana, and Gaius were standing amongst the restless crowd in the conference hall when they heard Arthur's voice echoing through the corridor behind the heavy wooden double doors.

"…don't give a damn about your orders! Unhand me!" He ordered, extremely heatedly. Then the double doors burst open and he was frogmarched into the hall, much to the general surprise of the public. He was pushed, none too gently into the middle of the room by the two grave-looking guards who flanked him. Shaking with rage, Arthur glared up to where Uther sat on his throne on the raised platform. "I will not be dragged down the halls of my own castle by my own soldiers!" He hissed at his father, completely disregarding the fact that the entire population of Camelot was watching him.

Looking down at his son in exasperation, Uther sighed and said, "You could have chosen to come of your own free will." He reminded his son, who was still glowering up at him with intense animosity. "I gave you the choice. If you chose to go the hard way, I cannot help that."

Ignoring the daggers that Arthur was shooting him through his eyes, Uther cleared his throat loudly and moved on. Arthur took that to mean that the subject was now closed. "I have a job for you, Arthur. If you know what is good for you, you'll help me."

The loathing in his face as clear as the cloudless sky, Arthur stared at him fiercely. "Well, I'd love to." He said, allowing false regret to colour his tone. "But I'm afraid you decreed that I was not allowed to either speak to you or share a room with you until I was ready to apologise. I am not yet ready so…" He trailed off as he turned to leave.

"Guards." Uther called, lazily, and the two guards on the door leapt forwards and barricaded the way. "You will listen, Arthur, or we will all wait here until you do. I will give you the choice. Please chose the first option and save us all the time."

"That is not a choice!" Arthur sneered. "Either way I have to listen!"

"Yes. Well, your choice is whether to listen now or to keep us all waiting until you decide to privilege us with your attention." Uther said calmly, completely unfazed by his sons hostility.

"That is no choice!" Arthur protested again, although at the same time knowing it was pointless to argue.

"Fine." Said Uther, dangerously, leaning forwards in his throne. "Then you may have the _choice_ between _choosing_ to listen and _choosing_ to take another spell in the dungeons."

Glaring at his father defiantly, Arthur put his wrists together and offered them to the guards. "Then handcuff me up and throw me in the dungeons!" He challenged them. The guards looked up at Uther unsurely, at a loss for what to do. "Arthur!" He sighed. "Do you have to be so difficult?"

Arthur laughed coldly, and sent a cold glare in his father's direction. "Well, I wonder where I get that from, _sire_." He sneered mockingly, once again reminding himself irresistibly of Merlin. He realised that Morgana was beaming at him, proudly, and knew that she was taking note of the similarity too. He flashed her a sheepish smile, before turning his gaze (or rather glare) back to Uther.

For the first time Uther seemed fazed by his words. Looking at him coldly, he stated in a flat, emotionless voice, "You are acting like a child. And if you do not stop it at once, I will _make_ you."

"Oh?" Asked Arthur, a cold sneer contorting his handsome face. "And how do you plan on _making_ me?"

"Well how about I hire you a new manservant for one thing." Said Uther, a malicious glint in his eyes.

Arthur's jaw locked, and he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Since Merlin's departure he had stubbornly refused to accept another servant, deciding instead to do all his chores himself. There was a simple reason behind this decision. No one else would be good enough. No one else would be able to fill Merlin's shoes. And until his trusty, if stupid, manservant returned to Camelot, he would continue to do any work that came his way without any interference from another. Snapping back to the present, Arthur glared at his father, hate coursing through his body.

"I won't use him." He said, tenaciously, his jaw jutting out and his bottom lip sticking out. "I'll order him to sit around all day and let me do the chores."

"And I will order him otherwise." Said Uther, vindictively, seemingly relishing in his son's unhappiness. "And who would dare follow the orders of a misled young boy when the King has ordered them otherwise?"

Arthur laughed, mockingly, grinning up at the King. "That didn't stop Merlin." He said with a twisted smile. This earned him a hard slap from one of the guards, who apologised grimly with his eyes as he did as was expected. There were gasps from the watching crowd. For a guard to slap the Prince in front of the King's face was unheard of. The hate in his eyes rapidly increasing, Arthur glared hostilely up at the King.

"Now," Said Uther, showing no regret in either his words or body language for what he had done. "Will you listen?"

**Thanks to**** my awesome reviewers for awesome reviews I've got so far :) Right, so I'm not gonna be able to upload the next chapter for at least a week coz I'm going on holiday and will have NO access to a computer (omg, how will I live? :O) But I'll write and upload the next chapter as soon as I can when I get back. Please review and read on :)**


	3. Utterly Speechless

**So I just realised that I didn't put a disclaimer at the beginning of my story :s (oops!) so here it is:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights for Merlin. They belong to the BBC.**

**:) Enjoy reading !**

Gwenivere gasped at the sound of hand on face as the guard slapped Arthur hard. She was on the verge of rushing to Arthur's aid, when Uther's poisonous voice spoke out, and she was reminded of the King's presence. "Now," He said, glaring down at Arthur from the platform on which his throne sat, and showing no sign of remorse for his actions. "Will you listen?"

She stared at Arthur intensely, willing him to abide by the King's wishes. That slap had looked pretty painful. She'd hate to see him on the receiving end of another one. Seemingly sensing her gaze, Arthur turned his head slightly so that his eyes made contact with hers. She widened her eyes pleadingly and nodded desperately, mentally pleading him to fight back his defiance and do as he was told. He frowned slightly at her distressed expression and then sighed. "Certainly, sire." He said, wincing at the forced calm in his own voice. "What is it that you require from me?"

Uther seemed slightly taken-aback by his son's sudden obedience, narrowing his eyes suspiciously and shooting him a searching look. When he spoke, his words were extremely cautious and carefully worded, and he seemed to be examining Arthur's reaction very closely. "The boy, Merlin…" Uther trailed off, for the first time since Gwenivere had entered the room, she saw that the King looked unsure of himself. Uncertainty tainted his hard features and if she didn't know better, Gwen would have sworn that she saw a hint of nervousness in his eyes as Arthur questioned him.

"Yes?" Arthur's voice was a hundred times more uncertain than Uther's, and his words were speeding out of his mouth at twice their normal pace. His eyes were wide and terrified. His face seemed caught somewhere in between eagerness to know whatever he could about his friend's current situation, and horror for what he might hear. "What is it? What have you found?"

The whole room seemed to freeze as Uther paused. Gwen felt her stomach twist into a complex pattern of anxious knots, and beside her Morgana was fearfully holding her breath in anticipation. That split second in which Uther hesitated was the longest of Gwenivere's life. Finally, after a moment that seemed an hour, Uther spoke.

"We think we're onto him. We've found a trail."

Arthur stared at his father in utmost horror. Even after the words had left his mouth, Arthur could still hear them bouncing around on the inside of his skull, refusing to be either acknowledged or accepted. In the silence that followed the King's statement, Arthur felt the eyes of every single person in the conference hall fixed on him intently, gauging his reaction. Some eyes showed shock, others remorse, some even pity. He knew that they were all waiting for his response, but he found himself unable to even open his mouth, let alone force it form words. It was a full five minutes before he managed to speak, breaking the anxious silence that was layered with both anticipation and suspense, "Where?" He managed to splutter, his eyes not leaving his father's face for one second.

Uther sighed, clearly relieved that his son had retained the ability to speak. "We found the remnants of a camp just outside the border of Camelot, leading into the forest. We think he's gone to join up with the druids." Finding himself momentarily speechless, Arthur merely stared at his father in horror. What really scared him was that it was actually a realistic idea. When Uther had suggested that Merlin might have gone to hide out in Ealdor, Arthur had found himself unable to maintain very much fear. He had been fairly certain that Merlin would not choose to go there, for the simple reason that he would not want to endanger his mother or any of the other village people with his presence. He had been proved right when his father's men had sent word that Merlin was not to be found anywhere in the village of his youth, before they had set off to search the neighbouring towns and villages.

Now however, Arthur had none of the certainty that he had had before. It was, now he thought about it, a highly possible notion that Merlin would have gone to live among the druids. He would be with people of his own kind, so he would be able to use magic without fear of retribution and he would be able to stay near the outskirts of Camelot, in the forest. For Arthur was sure that Merlin would hate to be too far away from his friends in Camelot for any length of time. He'd want to stay somewhere close. With a surge of fear, Arthur saw that this suggestion of Merlin's location was only too likely. Forcing his sped up breathing to slow to it's normal rate, and wondering how he could force his frantically beating heart to slow down, Arthur stared up at his father, looking terrified.

If only he had seen the slight twinkle in Gaius's eye from where the old man watched from the sidelines, he might have managed to save himself from both the argument and the punishment that he was about to take part in, as well as the accompanying fear.

However, he did not manage to catch the glint in Gaius's eye, and was left utterly speechless.

**Mysterious, much? Lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and read on :)**** Will try to update soon!**


	4. Demon Boy

Merlin sighed as he came to a halt mid-step, after a long time of pacing around the cave. Knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied until he had checked on Arthur, he hurried over to the basin again. He reached his right hand out over the water in a now-familiar gesture, and began to chew anxiously on the finger-nails of his left as he muttered the incantation under his breath, and waited in a state of high anticipation for the scene to set itself. Finally, after a few impossibly long seconds of swirling and shaping, it did.

As Merlin stared into the bowl, his eyebrows pushed down into a bewildered line, and his eyes squinted at the image on the water as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

Arthur was being dragged, in a manner not at all in keeping with his rank, down one of the many, long corridors in the castle of Camelot. Merlin stared, as if struck-dumb, at the contents of the basin for a moment before urgently twitching his hand and waiting impatiently for the split-second that it took for the indignant tones of the Prince's voice to fill the cave.

"…off me, you idiots! Let go of me, you maniacs!" Arthur was shouting furiously at the two armoured guards dragging him apologetically but forcefully down a corridor that ended with a pair of double doors.

"I'm sorry, sire." Said one of the guards, looking (and sounding) grave. "You were warned about what would happen if you chose not to comply with the King's wishes." He said, making no move to release the furious man. "I am merely following my orders."

"I don't give a damn about your orders!" Arthur yelled at them, clearly slightly unbelieving at the manner in which he was being forced down the hall. "Unhand me!" As his protestations were both made known, and totally ignored, the guarded double doors were opened and Arthur was thrown forwards into Uther Pendragon's conference hall.

If Merlin had not been so confused and uncertain, he might have laughed at how much Arthur reminded him of himself in that moment. As he stood in the middle of the room and glared defiantly up at his king. As it was, Merlin only managed a bemused smile and a baffled stare.

As Merlin stared at him, Arthur shot the two guards who had acted as his escorts the filthiest, most furious look possible, and then turned his glower to his father, who sat calmly in his throne, looking coolly down at him. "I will not," Arthur began, positively shaking with a raging fury that he did not even try to suppress, "be dragged down the halls of my own castle by my own soldiers!" Uther sighed as he looked down his royal nose at his son and shook his head ever so slightly in exasperation.

"You could have chosen to come of your own free will!" He exclaimed, sounding slightly tired at his son's strange behaviour. "I gave you the choice! If you chose to go the hard way, I cannot help that."

Arthur glared heatedly at his father with a look which clearly bid him a slow and painful death. However Uther ignored Arthur's ferocity with a sense of cool detachment that only one as heartless as Uther could pull off. "I have a job for you, Arthur." He said in a cold voice, bordering on boredom. "If you know what is good for you, you'll help me."

"Well, I'd love to." Arthur replied, his voice oozing with vehement sarcasm. "But I'm afraid you decreed that I was not allowed to either speak to you or share a room with you until I was ready to apologise. I am not ready yet so…" He trailed off suggestively, as turned slowly on his heel to leave, savouring in his father's apparent annoyance.

Uther sighed, rather dramatically Merlin thought, before snapping his fingers lazily and calling to the two guards on the door. "Guards." The guards jumped forwards, looking determinately focussed. "You will listen Arthur, or we will all wait here until you do." He told his son, staring coldly at the man, who was still a defiant child in his eyes. "I will give you the choice. Please choose the first option and save us all the time."

"That's not a choice! Either way I have to listen!" Arthur cried, his face contorted into a disgusted sneer.

"Yes. Well, your choice is whether to listen now or to keep us all waiting until you decide to privilege us with your attention." Uther replied, utterly unfazed.

"That is no choice!" Arthur exclaimed heatedly, his eyes flashing with stubborn defiance, although clearly aware that it was futile to continue his argument.

"Fine." Uther said, in a low, dangerous voice. He leaned forward on his throne, and eyed Arthur with slightly less calm than before. " Then you may have the _choice_ between _choosing_ to listen and _choosing_ to take another spell in the dungeons."

Arthur continued to glare at his father, the defiance seemingly etched onto his face. "Then handcuff me up and throw me in the dungeons!" He put his arms together and turned to face the closest pair of guards. There was a dark kind of humour in his eyes. It was clear that he knew they wouldn't do it.

"Arthur!" Uther sighed, after gesturing the guards away. "Do you have to be so difficult?"

That prompted a cold, mocking laugh from Arthur, and the strange dark humour flashed again in his clear blue eyes. "Well, I wonder where I get that from, _sire_." He sneered mockingly, and again, Merlin had the mental image of himself kneeling on the King's polished floor and facing Uther with the same mocking confidence as Arthur was now. For the first time, Uther seemed rankled. "You are acting like a child. And if you do not stop it at once, I will _make_ you."

It was as if the roles were temporarily switched. Arthur was suddenly the one looking calm and sure of himself, to the point of being slightly arrogant, while Uther glared at him hostilely. "Oh?" Arthur asked, that cold sneer still fixed to his face. "And how do you plan on _making_ me?"

Suddenly, the roles were switched back again, as fast as if someone had flipped a light-switch. Uther leant even further forward on his throne, his cold grey eyes glinting maliciously in the sunlight filtering in through the windows, and his head cocked curiously to one side as he watched Arthur carefully, to see the full impact of his malevolent words. "Well how about I hire you a new manservant for one thing."

Merlin frowned at that. Arthur hadn't hired a new manservant? It was odd but, as many times as Merlin checked on Arthur each day, he honestly hadn't noticed. He felt strangely touched by the thought, and his self-esteem shot up hugely. A feeling which only intensified, at the look of anger, bordering on horror, that Uther's words had inflicted upon Arthur's face. Merlin grinned.

Arthur however, looked like he might never grin again. His face had set itself into a closed-off expression in an attempt to keep Uther from seeing how much he had got to him. "I won't use him." Arthur said stiffly, in a response to the King's threat. Merlin chuckled quietly to himself as he saw Arthur's chin jut out obstinately, and his grin widened at the Prince's next words. "I'll order him to sit around all day and let me do the chores." It meant a lot to him that Arthur seemed to care so much.

"And I will order him otherwise." Merlin glared at the image of Uther in his basin as the King said these words. He was ruining his moment! "And who would dare follow the orders of a misled young boy when the King has ordered them otherwise?"

Arthur threw his head back and let a peal of mocking laughter ring through the crowded hall. He stopped laughing as he rolled forward onto his heels and leaned forward to face his father derisively. "That didn't stop Merlin." Merlin laughed out loud again, once more touched that his Prince, no his _friend_ had not completely, or even slightly, forgotten about him. His laugh broke off however as, with a sign from Uther, one of the guards stepped gravely forwards and dealt Arthur a hard, and painful slap to the cheek, leaving a stinging red hand-mark in it's wake.

Merlin heard himself gasping along with the rest of the crowd in the basin, as Arthur turned his smarting face to glare at his father hostilely, and with even more defiance than before.

"Now," Said Uther, completely disregarding both Arthur's aggravated glower, and the response from the crowd. "Will you listen?"

For a second it looked as though Arthur might kill his father, but at a warning glance from Gwenivere, he forced a look of false calm onto his face and shot him a smile that was more of a grimace. "Certainly sire." He said, scowling at the strained pleasantness of his voice. "What is it that you require from me?"

"The boy, Merlin…" Uther sounded slightly uneasy. A feeling that he was clearly not used to judging by the vulnerability and uncertainty in his expression.

"Yes?" Arthur cut him off, giving him no time to finish. "What is it? What have you found?"

Uther hesitated at the urgency and susceptibility in his son's voice. ""We think we're onto him. We've found a trail."

At Uther's words, Merlin felt a sharp, cold fear lance through his chest. His eyes bulged wide and he had to take deep breaths to force himself to stay calm. Apparently, this was a reaction shared by everyone else (other than Uther, of course) in the conference hall of Camelot. On every face of the gathered public, was the same terrible dread, and overpowering concern for the poor serving boy that they had all grown to love. As Merlin saw the fear in the people's eyes, and the anxiety in their wide eyes, he felt an odd warmth begin to seep through into heart. However, it was not the look of pure panic on Arthur's face that warmed him so. Neither was it the alarm that was suddenly occupying Gwenivere's expression. Nor was it the trepidation locked onto Morgana's tired countenance like a vice. It wasn't even the dread that seemed to be consuming Gaius. No, it was none of these things.

It was the fright on the faces of the people Merlin had never met that touched him most. People he'd spoken only one word to, if that, in his whole life. People he'd sometimes passed in the corridors, or in the streets, but had never looked at twice. People whose names he did not know, let alone anything else about them. That these nameless (or rather, unknown) people could care so much about a man they'd had so little to do with, was incredible (and overwhelmingly flattering) for Merlin, and suddenly, he found himself blinking back tears. He chuckled to himself, thinking of what Arthur would have said if he could see the unnatural wateriness of his manservant's eyes in that moment, and shook the feeling off. As Arthur had once told him, "No man is worth your tears." If only he had looked a little closer, Merlin might have seen that Gaius's dread was not entirely sincere. The emotion looked fake. Looked like it was just a screen, covering another emotion, so that no one would see the slight edge of triumph that glistened in his aged eyes, or the nearly unnoticeable way that his lips were turned up ever so slightly at the corners.

However, Merlin did not notice anything even slightly suspicious about the old man, choosing instead to return his attention back on the contents of the basin, where Merlin heard Arthur spluttering his hasty, urgent reply. "Where?"

Uther sighed before answering, looking uncomfortable and positively apologetic for a moment. Merlin frowned. That was wrong. Uther was never sorry for anything. Right? But he was pulled from his pondering from the sound of the King's voice.

"We found the remnants of a camp just outside the border of Camelot, leading into the forest. We think he's gone to join up with the druids."

At this, Merlin frowned. A camp? The forest? The druids? But he was nowhere near that part of the forest! In fact he hadn't been anywhere near that part of the forest for a long time. Way before he left Camelot. This made no sense! Merlin began to smell a rat.

Arthur was motionless for a long while after this pronouncement was made. Totally speechless, it was all he could do to shoot his father an inquisitive (and slightly hysterical) look that clearly said, "And what do you need from me?" Once again, Uther sighed before answering his son's non-verbal question.

"All of my men are already out on the search. I have some men searching the villages around Ealdor. A few men are still there, questioning the villagers. And the rest of my men are either searching the mountains, or delving into the ruins of the magical settlements from before my ban on magic. I hardly have enough men left to guard the castle, let alone to send out another search party for the demon boy."

"Demon boy?" Merlin muttered to himself, offended, and wishing he was there to grow Uther a pair of devil horns on his head. That would show him! As well as revealing to the people of Camelot who the real demon was! However, Merlin could do nothing more than fume in silence at the King's spiteful words from his cave hideout. So he was extremely thankful when he heard Arthur's contemptuous voice filling the black cave.

"Demon boy?" He said, sounding both overpoweringly angry, and disgusted. "_Demon boy?_ Merlin is not a _demon boy!_ He's saved both of our lives more times than I care to tell you! You should be granting him a knighthood for his deeds, not driving him away from his friends and family, and into hiding!" Arthur spat on the ground before Uther, earning himself another slap from the guard, this time on the back of the head. He was sent sprawling across the floor; however his sneer did not depart from his features. "It's happening all over again! You're doing just what you did before, to Merlin's father! You're forcing him to leave the place he lives, and the life he has, and turning him into a common outlaw! Well he's not!" Merlin smiled as he listened to the Prince's fervent words, and kept his eyes on the basin, where Uther was not rising to his son's fury. He seemed quite unaffected.

He merely looked at him for a second before making his request, or rather stating his orders. "I need more men. You will give them to me Arthur or I will have you flogged. You will-"

But he was broken off by the sound of Arthur's manic laughter, which echoed around the conference hall, bouncing off the walls, and ricocheting off the ceiling to spring back to the floor. It echoed around the congregated crowd of peasants and knights alike, quite sincere in it's humour.

Forcing himself to splutter out his words through his incessant bursts of laughter, Arthur spoke. "You…" He broke off, overwhelmed by the force of another bout of laughter. "You want me…You want me to…to…help you find…help you find the person…the person who I set free in the first place!" Nearly choking on his laughter, Arthur doubled up, clutching at his sides, and crying out. "Ah! I've got a stitch! Oh! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard! Honestly father, you're a real joker!"

Uther scowled furiously at Arthur, as the surrounding people began to chuckle in bemusement at the Prince's antics. Merlin, in the cave, also found himself laughing.

Realising that he was making a fool out of himself again, Uther got up from his royal throne and stepped down from the raised platform, making his way over to the double doors that marked the entrance to the room. Just before he left however, he turned his face back to his son, his boy still facing the door, to call a few words back to Arthur. "You will obey me, Arthur. If I do not have your obedience by the end of the week, I will be forced to take a more acting form of persuasion." And with that, Uther swept from the conference hall, leaving Arthur now positively rolling around on the floor in his humour of his father's stupidity, and the rest of the population chuckling along with the Prince that they much preferred to his father.

**Hey, so I'm really sorry that it took so long to update, but it was a difficult chapter to write, and I'm running out of ideas. Also, sorry that I've repeated a **_**lot**_** of stuff from earlier chapters but I didn't know how else to write it. Please review! It makes me a better writer knowing what everyone's thinking! Please let me know of any typos and leave some ideas for this fic. Keep reading! I promise I'll update sooner next time :)**


	5. Gaius

**Hey, REALLY sorry that it's taken so long to update, but I was completely lost for ideas and this was a really tricky chapter to write because I didn't want to give too much away. Anyway, I wanna say thanks to my AMAZING reviewers! You guys are AWESOME! You make my day! Please keep reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Btw, I wanna say thanks to headwig1010 and musicdiva37. You guys both gave me really good ideas for the plot and I'm gonna use them in later chapters. Thanks!**

Gaius chuckled along with the rest of the crowd as their beloved Prince continued to roll uncontrollably around on the highly polished conference hall floor, positively shrieking with laughter as mirthful tears streaked down his face. Clearly deciding that something had to be done, one of the guards jumped forward, gripping one of the Prince's arms in one of his gloved hands, and calling to his comrades to help him carry him to his chamber, where he would undoubtedly be watched most carefully through the night.

As Arthur was dragged (still laughing) through the wooden double doors, Gaius bit down hard on his lip, fighting to control the giddy laughter bubbling up inside him that had nothing to do with the Prince. Moving along out of the conference hall with the rest of the chattering crowd, Gaius continued to bite down on his lip so that, by the time he had reached his chambers and was able to give into his laughter, he could taste the metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth. He ignored this however, allowing himself to be completely consumed by wave on wave of glorious, giddy, triumphant laughter.

He leant against the door as he positively howled with accomplishment, his stomach clenching from the power of his laughter. However, managing to somehow keep in his mind the need for absolute secrecy, he quieted his howls down until they were low chuckles, none the less sincere for their softness.

"Oh, well done Gaius! Well done!" He muttered to himself, still chuckling, as he stepped forward to his desk and began to set about his usual business, concocting potions, extracting important substances from mysterious vials of liquid, and reading up about different poisons and their antidotes. "Very well done! Worked like a charm! Oh, you clever, clever man! Oh, if Merlin could see you now, well he probably could…anyway, he'd be very proud of you Gaius! Oh well done, old man!" He continued to mutter happily to himself under his breath, until he was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in!" He cried, fear suddenly flooding through him, picturing Uther and his body-guards standing behind the door, ready to drag him off to the dungeons for his crimes. However he dispelled that thought almost instantly. How could Uther have found out what he'd done? He was still relieved however, when not Uther but Gwen stepped around the corner and into his little office/living area.

"Gwenivere!" Gaius cried welcomingly, as maid smiled shyly at him. "What can I do for you, my dear? Is it Morgana? Does she need something more for her sleeping problems?" He bit down on his tongue, trying to stop himself from babbling incessantly on, and also trying to control how amazingly chipper he was sounding, especially after such an unhappy announcement from Uther on Merlin's supposed whereabouts.

"No, no, it's nothing like that!" She said quickly, not wanting the old man to worry himself. "No, I just wanted to talk to you about the conference earlier. About what Uther said about finding Merlin's camp." Gaius audibly caught his breath at Gwenivere's words. Was she onto him? No she couldn't be! He quickly dismissed the thought, wondering why he was being so paranoid today. However, he was not entirely able to completely suppress the anxiety in his somewhat feeble voice when he replied.

"Yes? What of it?"

Gaius watched in anticipation as Gwenivere seemed to struggle for words. When she finally did speak, her words were cautious, overly careful. "I just don't want you to worry. I know how scared you must be at the thought of Uther finding Merlin. But I have complete faith in Arthur. I'm sure he'd never willingly give his father his way. He'd fight for Merlin to his death." There was a slightly proud tint to her gentle voice as she said this last sentence and a slight twist to her mouth.

"Yes I'm sure you're right." Said Gaius, smiling down at the maid, and sounding entirely sure. "Merlin will be fine."

Gwenivere frowned at the certainty in the old man's voice, before speaking. "How can you be so sure?"

Gaius cursed under his breath. _Now_ she was onto him. Realising that Gwen was waiting for a reply and that he needed to come up with something, he managed to force out the first words that came into his head. "Arthur can be very stubborn when the occasion calls. I've known him for the whole of his life, and his father for a great deal of his life. They share the same streak of determination in their blood that makes me sure that Arthur will not betray Merlin, unless in the most extreme circumstances."

Gwenivere smiled at the surety in the physician's voice, seemingly satisfied with his reply. "Well, I'm glad you're being so positive about this. I wouldn't want you to upset yourself. Merlin will be fine."

"Yes." Said Gaius, positively beaming. "Yes, I'm sure of it."

So, with one last smile and a gentle call of "Goodbye Gaius." Gwenivere left the office and made her way down the corridor, and out of sight, leaving Gaius still smiling softly behind her. Suddenly, he felt a huge sigh escape him, a dull ache of longing in his aged heart. "Oh, how I miss you Merlin. Come back soon, my boy."

**Thanks to people who commented on this chapter about the Merlin/Gaius relationship. Just changed it! :) ****Also, someone asked me when this fic and my previous Merlin story "Merlin Uncovered" are set. Well, they are both set after seasons 1 & 2 and before season 3 (which is extremely awesome btw) but my in my little fiction world, Merlin did not poison Morgana because it doesn't really fit with my story, and I kinda forgot about that episode when I started writing. So, I hope this helped anyone who was confused! Please keep reading and leave some nice (I'm hoping) reviews! I love reviews! They make me happy! :P Btw, inform me of any typos and I'll try to put them right. Thanks!**


	6. Memories

As Arthur was dragged down the many castle's corridors by yet another pair of guards, that manic that laughter still echoing hectically off the walls and shaking uncontrollably through his frame, he was finding it extremely difficult to get a hold on his thoughts. There was something niggling away at the back of his mind, something that he knew was very important, and something that it would be mind-numbingly stupid to ignore. But the more he tried to focus on his thoughts, the farther away they seemed to drift, as if they were doing it purposely to annoy him.

Consumed by his elusive thoughts as he was, it wasn't until he had been marched all the way to his chambers, and pushed gently but determinately through the double doors, that he realised the odd looks that he was receiving from the guards. They clearly thought he'd gone mad. However, their expressions of doubt and confusion only served to start him chuckling again, and he was bent double with the strength of his mirth by the time they left.

Knowing that he needed to calm down to allow himself to think straight, Arthur leant against the wall and sunk down to the floor, trying to think of some sobering thoughts. Almost at once, an image of his manservant flashed into his head. That sobered him up immediately. When was Merlin coming back? He'd been gone a long time. What if he _couldn't_ come back? What if he was in mortal danger and Arthur had no idea? Or even worse, what if he was-

"No!" Arthur whispered to himself scowling, and glaring at the floor. "No! He's fine! He _has_ to be!" But the thought still remained in his head, taunting him, laughing at his sheer horror. "Stop it!" He told himself angrily, his hands balling into fists. "Stop it Arthur! You're being stupid! Paranoid!"

For the thousandth time in the past month, Arthur felt himself sighing in discontentment. He groaned. "You're such an idiot Merlin! What did you have to leave for?" He sighed again, and then pushed the thought from his mind. He had more important things to deal with. Suddenly the strange niggling feeling in the back of his head gave him a sharp nudge, as though to remind him that it was still there. But the moment he became aware of it once more, it darted away into the back of his mind again, intent on hiding itself from the Prince. It was infuriating, to say the least.

Giving up on it as a bad job, Arthur turned his mind to the other matters that occupied his mind. His father had run out of men. He wanted men from Arthur. He wanted men to find Merlin. Arthur snorted. The strange laughter was bubbling up in him again, threatening to tumble out of his mouth, but he fought it back. He had to concentrate. Now was not the time to laugh. He thought back to the conference he had just unwillingly attended. What was it the King had said?

"_I need more men. You will give them to me Arthur or I will have you flogged."_

Was that the best he could do? Have him flogged? If it was, then Arthur was sure that he could continue to resist. He would not betray the truest friend he ever had just to end a little personal discomfort. And anyway, he'd been injured before hadn't he? Being flogged could be no worse than taking an arrow or a blow from a sword. And it would be like a holiday in comparison to being bitten by the questing beast. He winced at that last memory. The few days he had spent unconscious after being bitten had been far from pleasant. At least he hadn't been out too long. He thought back to what Merlin had said, right after Arthur had first caught him using magic.

"Then _I used magic to kill the questing beast, then went to the sorceress Nimueh to exchange my life for yours, then had to go again to exchange my life for Gaius's and ended up killing her with a bolt of lightning."_

Arthur was still shocked and slightly dazed whenever he remembered this. Part of his shock came from the recollection of Merlin yelling at him. But the main reason was that the manservant had managed to summon both the courage and the self-sacrifice to go to find the sorceress who had tried more than once to kill both Arthur and Merlin, and beg her to spare Arthur's life in exchange for his own. That must have been hard enough. But to have to go _twice_. Arthur wasn't entirely sure if even he could've done it. But the he remembered something else. Hadn't he once tried to take his own life in order to spare Merlin's? He remembered sitting across from his friend at a table, two goblets of clear liquid before them. He remembered the feel of the cold metal against his hand, as he had taken it up and practically thrown it down his throat. He remembered what he and Merlin had said to each other before he'd drunk.

"_I had no idea you were so keen to die for me."_

"_Trust me I can hardly believe it myself."_

"_I'm glad you're here Merlin."_

It was the closest Arthur had ever come to telling Merlin that he thought of him as a friend. The first time that he'd really treated him like an equal. He had been honestly surprised to realise that Merlin was so willing to sacrifice himself for Arthur. But now he understood how the manservant had felt. Some things were worth dying for. Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, maybe even Gaius, although he'd never been as close to the old man as Merlin was. He would give his life for any of his soldiers or his people without a moment's hesitation. But that was different. That came more out of a duty to protect than actual liking. His father would've been on the list too, before Merlin had left, but now he wasn't sure. He guessed his father would actually have to be on the verge of dying before Arthur found out whether he was still on the list. Shaking his head to clear it of these heavy thoughts, Arthur thought of something else he'd told Merlin that same day.

"_You never cease to surprise me. You're a lot smarter than you look."_

Arthur chuckled at the truth of his own words. It was true. Both of the things he'd said. Merlin was constantly surprising him, even before he knew of his magical abilities. And of the second thing he'd said…Well, you had to be pretty smart to use magic right before the King's face and get away with it. Or maybe Uther was just stupid. But, as much as Arthur agreed with that thought, he had to chase it from his mind. After all, he'd fallen for Merlin's act too. If he called his father stupid, then he was calling himself stupid, and that was just ridiculous. Arthur chuckled to himself, thinking of what Merlin would say to that, if he could hear Arthur's thoughts, and then sighed.

"Damn! I never thought I'd say it, but I miss you Merlin." He said, under his breath. "Come back soon, my friend."

**Hi! Once again, I'm REALLY (really really really really really) sorry about the long wait for the update (RHYME!) ****But I've been really busy lately coz my evil teachers were giving me lots of homework (grrrrrrrrrrrr!) But I hope you liked it! Also I'm sorry about the crappy filler but I just wanted to show what Arthur was thinking and stuff. Don't worry; they'll be more action in the next few chapters. And also (this is my last apology I promise!) really sorry that all my chapters have been like REALLY short, but I'm saving most of my ideas for the next few chapters, so read on (REVIEW!) and enjoy! :)**


	7. Touched

Merlin stood next to the basin, nonplussed. "Wow." He said softly to himself, staring at the basin and shaking his head slowly. "I never realised my master was such a nutcase." Merlin chuckled to himself as he said this, thinking of what Arthur would have said if he had heard this. Probably something along the lines of, "Do you want me to put you in the stocks again? I'm sure there's lots of rotten fruit left to pelt you with." Then he sighed and turned back to the basin. Speaking of Arthur…

He twitched his hand again and at once, the liquid began to swirl and contort once more, forming itself into the shapes of three young men, two marching, and one being dragged, down the corridor. Suddenly, Merlin realised that there was someone else, walking behind them, although clearly not part of their party. Merlin felt his pulse begin to speed, his heart begin to thump. He very nearly called out a useless waning at three men, but he cut himself of as he realised two things. Firstly, the men were miles away and shouting a warning at them would be just as insane as it would be useless. Secondly, the fourth, potentially threatening figure was now rounding a corner and, as he moved into the light of another corridor, Merlin saw that it was the form of the not-so-threatening Gaius.

Laughing, partly self-mockingly, and partly in relief, Merlin continued to watch as Gaius made his way to his chambers, for some odd reason biting down on his lip, and looking like he was struggling against some inner emotion. Once Gaius was safely behind the door to his chambers, it was a completely different story. He slumped against the door and began to howl with uncontrollable and inexplicable laughter. He remained like this for a few minutes, during which Merlin had already managed to convince himself that the royal household must have ate some bad food during breakfast that morning to result in such strange behaviour. Once Gaius was done with his fit, he began talking to himself, only strengthening Merlin's belief that he'd gone completely and utterly barking mad, particularly as what he was saying made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"Oh, well done Gaius! Well done!" The old man said, seeming totally barmy to the confused and befuddled warlock spying on him from the cave. "Very well done! Worked like a charm! Oh, you clever, clever man! Oh, if Merlin could see you now, well he probably could…"

"You've got that right." Merlin muttered.

"…anyway, he'd be very proud of you Gaius!"

"Or he'd think you've gone completely bonkers." Merlin chuckled, shaking his head bemusedly at the old man's odd behaviour.

"Oh well done, old man!"

Suddenly, Gaius was interrupted from his incessant and very enthusiastic laughter by the sound of a shy knock on the door. "Come in!" He called, then, "Gwenivere!" He cried happily, as the maid appeared at the door. "What can I do for you, my dear?"

Merlin's attention began to wander, as Gaius inquired about Morgana and chattered seemingly endlessly on about her troubled nights. However, he was dragged back to the seen in front of him (or rather, miles and miles away from him) by the sound of his name.

"…Merlin's camp."

Merlin frowned and narrowed his eyes as Gaius's breath caught sharply at her words. What was that about? He spoke much too quickly, and sounded slightly anxious, when he forced out a response to whatever it was that Gwenivere had said. "Yes? What of it?"

"I just don't want you to worry." Gwenivere's voice was soft and tender when she spoke, gentle and caring. "I know how scared you must be at the thought of Uther finding Merlin." Gaius however, did not look even slightly scared as Gwen carried on talking, oblivious. A fact which Merlin struggled not to be offended by. After all, it wasn't like he wanted to upset Gaius with his absence. But he would have liked to think that the old man cared. "But I have complete faith in Arthur. I'm sure he'd never willingly give his father his way. He'd fight for Merlin to his death."

Merlin smiled to himself, allowing the kind words to warm his heart. But then he frowned, as he remembered a time when Arthur had tried to do just that. He remembered the two of them sitting down at a table next to the gushing grey sea, facing each other, two plain goblets between them half-way filled with clear liquid. He remembered the flash of intuition when he had realised what they had t do. He remembered the look of determination in Arthur's eyes as he had thrown back his head and tipped the contents of his goblet into his waiting mouth. He remembered his horror as he saw Arthur fall back from his chair, solemn and grave. It was a memory that was clouded by fear, late overshadowed by the relief that his master, no his _friend_ had not really died. But at the time the horror had been so real he could've choked on it. It was not his favourite of memories.

But Merlin was dragged back to the present day by the sound of Gaius's feeble voice sounding through the silence of the cave that was, for now, his home.

"Yes I'm sure you're right. Merlin will be fine."

Once again, Merlin found himself frowning at the old man through the liquid in the basin, his eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. It was not the words that troubled him, but the way in which they were said. It sounded more like a statement than a reassurance. As if what Gaius was saying was solid fact, rather than vague hope. Merlin was glad when Gwenivere asked the question that he was burning to voice.

"How can you be so sure?"

For a second, Gaius looked cornered, like a young child caught in wrongdoing. But then his expression smoothed over, and he answered with a sense of calmness and detachment. "Arthur can be very stubborn when the occasion calls. I've known him for the whole of his life, and his father for a great deal of his life." Merlin scowled at the mention of Uther and stuck his tongue out at the basin but decided to listen to what Gaius was saying rather than go into a rant about all the bad qualities and decisions of Uther Pendragon that no one would hear other than him. "They share the same streak of determination in their blood that makes me sure that Arthur will not betray Merlin, unless in the most extreme circumstances."

"You've got that right." Merlin muttered to the old man who could neither see nor hear him, referring to what he had said of the Prince's determination. "Although I think it's better described as stubbornness." He chuckled to himself, thinking of just how stubborn Arthur could be when he wanted. However, Gaius's explanation had seemed a little vague to Merlin, as if there was something he was not telling Gwen. Gwen however, seemed satisfied, for she asked no more questions. "Well, I'm glad you're being so positive about this. I wouldn't want you to upset yourself. Merlin will be fine."

"Yes." Said Gaius, beaming and seeming all too sure. "Yes, I'm sure of it."

Smiling at the man's optimistic attitude, she said gently, "Goodbye Gaius." Before turning to the door and quietly exiting the room. Gaius continued to beam for a moment before suddenly his grin slumped and morphed into a sad frown filled with longing. "Oh, how I miss you Merlin. Come back soon, my boy."

Merlin felt a sad smile settle onto his face. "You strange, strange man. I will, I promise." Suddenly, Merlin's thoughts jumped to Arthur. The last he'd seen of his friend had been when he was being dragged down the corridor by two of his own guards. He looked down at the man in the basin. It seemed as if Gaius's strange mood was over, and had now settled into wistfulness. As it seemed as if the man would not be doing anything other than working for a while, Merlin gave one last sigh before giving his hand a twitch and allowing the scene to change.

The scene jumped to Arthur's room, where he'd clearly just been dropped off by his guards. The Prince was still laughing and Merlin sighed. Did everyone have to be so weirdly cheerful today? Suddenly, Arthur slumped against the wall and sunk to the floor, all humour lost from his features. "No!" He whispered to himself, half angry, half stern. "No! He's fine He _has _to be!" Although Merlin could not be sure, he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who the "he" was the Prince was talking about. He sighed at the pain and sadness he seemed to be unintentionally causing the young man. "Stop it! Stop it Arthur!" His hands were balled into fists on his lap. "You're being stupid! Paranoid!"

The next few minutes, Arthur spent in a strange combination of glazed, faraway looks, furrowed-browed frowns, scowls, winces, and sighs. It was incomprehensible to Merlin, who could see no visible prompts to Arthur's strange behaviour in the basin, and could only assume Arthur was fighting his own, private battles in his head. Suddenly, the Prince let out a sigh, deeper and more full of sorrow than the rest of them. "Damn!" He said suddenly, making Merlin jump slightly. "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss you Merlin." Merlin felt his throat closing up, and a strange prickling sensation behind his eyelids, touched.

"Come on Merlin!" He told himself. "No man is worth your tears!"

"Come back soon, my friend."

Merlin gulped. "Soon." He promised, wishing the other man could hear him, and then twitched his hand once more, letting the liquid go clear.

**Thanks for reading! Okay, so I know I said there was gonna be more actions in this chapter but I had to add this one, I couldn't resist! Next one will be action though, I promise! Anyway, please please please review and read on!**


	8. The Prince's Face

For the second time in two days, Arthur found himself being rather loudly awakened by the sound of a spear drumming against his double doors. Groaning and rubbing his aching neck (which had grown stiff and rather cramped from the odd position it had been kept in while he slept against the wall) he pushed himself reluctantly up off the dusty floor, the pounding on the door seeming both ten times louder and more annoying in his sleepy state. Making his way over to the door, he wrenched it open irritated, to glare none-too-friendlily, at the three men waiting on the other side.

The rather impatient knocking ceased abruptly as the guard by whom it was sounding, took in his tetchy appearance, and Arthur grinned smugly to himself, pleased at the end of the irksome noise. "What?" He asked, somewhat rudely then, without giving any of the three men time to answer, he asked, "What time is it?" As he only just noticed the darkness that was obscuring their features and hiding their identity.

"Er… it's two in the morning, sire. And… the King requests your presence in his chambers, sire." Said one of the men, as Arthur squinted through the darkness at his face. However, as the man spoke, he recognised him as his most trusted Knight, Sir Leon. "He requests that you be there at once, sire."

"Hey, I've got a question." Said, Arthur, through a yawn. "Why do say "requests" when you mean "demands"?" Sir Leon laughed, but broke off to suck in a sharp breath through his teeth as the dim, flickering light of a torch lit up Arthur's stocky figure. "What?" Arthur asked as the other two men, whom he assumed where the guards ordered to stick to him like glue for the day, made similar hissing noises at the sight of their Prince. "What?"

"Sire… Your face…" Said Sir Leon quietly, a mixture of both anger and disgust well (but not well enough) hidden behind the shock in his voice. Arthur felt his hand jump up to his face, as the other two men simply stared. "What?" He asked again, his former irritation returning to him once more. "What's wrong with it?"

"Sire, I… It…" Sir Leon trailed off once more, giving Arthur no more explanation than a sympathetic look and a shared glance with the guards. Wondering why no one would give him a straight answer, or at least an answer which made sense, Arthur ducked back into his chambers, ignoring the two men who tried to pull him back, and peered into the ancient, dusty, and rusted mirror that stood atop his chest of drawers. What he saw made him clap a hand to his mouth to muffle his horrified gasp. He didn't want to show any sign of weakness in front of the guards.

The right side of his face was perfectly normal. His skin stretched naturally over his bones, his eyes set, cloudy blue and dimmed with sleep, behind the sleek, fair hair that was constantly falling into them. The right side of his face was fine. Great in fact. It was the left side of his face that held his attention.

The left side of his face was mangled and bloody, bruised from high-cheekbone to jaw-line, with colours that ranged from the darkest, smoky purple, to the lightest, slightly mouldy looking yellow. The only part of his face that wasn't bruised was the part that the guard who had slapped him had grazed with his iron-backed gloves, which had bled over the night, and was now caked in a thin, but still painful-looking, layer of dried blood. The skin stretched over his cheekbone was puffy and swollen. Arthur guessed he should count himself lucky. If the blow had been just two inches higher, the guard would've taken his eye out. Still, it was little consolation. Especially when he considered to whom the fault for his mangled face belonged.

As he stepped out of his chambers, jaw set and looking determinately blank, he strode down the corridor, saying stiffly to the guards scurrying along behind him like frightened little sheep, "Take me to my father." And ignoring the looks that they were shooting him, along with slight edge of fear in their respectful salute (caused no doubt by the spark of anger in his eyes which was the only betraying feature of his terrible fury) he rounded a corner, not pausing to allow them to catch up.

In fact, the three pursuing men only managed to catch up to their Prince as he stopped to wait for his father to open the door which he was pounding furiously on. They paused for a moment to catch their breath as they heard sounds of movement from within the King's chambers, but just before the door was opened, Sir Leon pulled Arthur aside.

Speaking quietly so as not to be heard by the other two men, the man sighed heavily before speaking. "Arthur. I know you must be furious with your father. I'd be if it were me, but please. Don't do anything you'll regret." Arthur levelled a steady look at the man, taking in both his pleading eyes, and the slight hint of desperation in his voice, as he spoke the warning that t would once have been Merlin's job to deliver.

Offering no sign that he had either heard, or paid any attention to the man's cautioning words, Arthur turned on his heel and stalked over to the door, as the approaching sounds of footsteps sounded on the other side.

**Ooh, cliffy or what? :) Evil! So, I'm really really really really really really really really (X10) sorry for the long wait for an update, but I've been crazy busy lately coz my English teacher has an overdose of homework obsession :( Anyway, hope you liked it! I'll love you forever if you review! Thanks for reading, and don't stop! :)**


	9. An Ultimatum

"Arthur!" Said the King, sounding both exasperated and tired at the same time. Arthur could sense an undercurrent of triumph in his father's expression however that he was sure did not bode well. "Must you knock so loudly? It's incredibly early." Arthur stared, eyes popping wide and mouth gaping open at his father for a moment, before managing to stutter out a few indignant words. "Um, what?" He cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm himself as he remembered Sir Leon's cautionary words. "You have just called me from my bed at two in the morning, and you are scolding me for being disruptive? I'm sorry sire but I see no sense in that!" He cried, forgetting in his incensed state to pronounce his father's title with a sneer nut making it up by glaring hatefully at him when he was done with his rant. However, Uther did no more than yawn pointedly at his mutinous son and gesture for him to come in which, after a moment's resentment, he reluctantly did.

"So." He said after a moment's uncomfortable silence which he took to understand that his father would not be broaching the topic of his summons without a prompt. "You uh… _asked_ me to come." He began, putting the slightest hint of scorn possible onto the word but still enough to make the King's eyes tighten in annoyance. "I'm assuming it's something important."

"Ah yes." Said Uther, as if he had forgotten all about it. "Yes, of course. Well, I have called you to my chambers at this uh… let's say _undesirable_ hour, to offer you a…well, a _choice_. Choice is by far a prettier word for ultimatum, don't you think?" Arthur felt his eyes narrow into resentful slits as his father spoke in an oddly delicate tone. Suddenly, he felt that niggling sensation re-enter his mind, stronger now than before. It felt as if a balloon were swelling in the back of his skull, and if he could just reach out a hand and pop it, the contents would become known, but the balloon remained infuriatingly elusive, and Arthur sighed, resigned to wait.

"My lord?" He asked, resolved to speak as little as possible while still saying what needed to be said.

"Well," Uther began emphatically, clearly revelling in his son's uncomfortable demeanour; a result of course of having to ask anything of his father, even just an explanation. "I realised after the conference came to an end yesterday," He said, trying to put his storming out in the least humiliating way possible, "That I was going to have to come up with a more forceful plan if I was to get what I want from you. Clearly, simply chaining you up in a cell isn't a strong enough punishment. So, I though about it, and came up with a solution."

Suddenly, Arthur felt the balloon explode from the excessive pressure being put on it from his inquisitive mind, and he felt its unseemly contents seep through his brain, leaking poisonous jolts of cold fear into his blood stream and shooting shocks of dread through his thoughts. The statement that excited such feelings in him was this: Uther never gave up. He had to remember who his father was. A little public humiliation, far from causing him to give up, would only make him more determined to reach his goal. If he wanted to find Merlin, neither Arthur's scorn, nor his unwillingness would stop him. Arthur found himself listening intently (and extremely apprehensively) to the rest of his father's poisonous rambling.

"And you know what the best thing about my solution is?" He was now seeing, that glint of triumph in his eyes more apparent than ever as he witnessed the dread his words had inspired in his son. "Everybody wins! I get what I want, namely guards. And you get to do what you love most, saving people's worthless lives." At this, Arthur's eyes narrowed again, and he could almost feel the anger flashing through their clear blue irises. He thought he knew where this was going, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"If you're going to say something, then say it, and don't waste time with these pointless word games." He stated, glaring at his father angrily, a feeling only strengthened by his suspicions on where this conversation was headed. Seemingly taking great pleasure in his son's rage, Uther chuckled, before speaking. "Very well." He snapped his fingers, and a guard came out from behind his screen, roughly pulling a gagged and bound young girl along behind him. Arthur heard Sir Leon and the other two guards behind him gasp, but the horror he was experiencing was too strong to express in such a trivial manner, and it was all he could do to stare at the girl's tear-streaked face in the utmost terror. As her tear-glazed green eyes locked with his, he felt his face crumple in agony, already knowing what his father was about to say.

"Is the boy's life worth hers?" Uther asked, his eyes glinting with malicious victory, sensing his son's resignation. "It's your choice Arthur."

"My lord!" Exclaimed Sir Leon from behind him, and Arthur heard the approaching sounds of three sets of footsteps, as the guards stepped forward to protest. "My lord, surely-"

"Quiet!" Uther barked, eyes locked on his son's pained expression as he gazed at the little girl, who could be no more than five or six years old. Seven at the very most. Arthur however, hardly seemed to notice the stares of the four other men in the room, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl, yet at the same time terrified to keep looking in fear of what it would do to his will-power. "Arthur." Said Uther, quietly, his soft, velvety voice more threatening than anything Arthur had heard in a long time. "Time to choose."

Arthur felt his mouth open to give in, but his voice seemed unwilling to abide by his wishes. He could feel a battle raging inside his heart. On one side, he saw the girl. Green eyes sparkling with tears, straight chestnut hair, wild and unruly, with the guard's fist locked cruelly around it, threatening and intimidating. Ominous.

On the other side, he saw his closest friend in his mind's eye. He saw the fear and desperation that had presented itself on Merlin's face when Arthur had first ordered the guards to lock him up. He saw the wild terror dancing around in the young man's blue eyes, screaming away. Arthur felt his face twist and contort into a terrified, desperate expression as he faced the dilemma before him. The ultimatum.

Merlin or girl. Manservant or peasant. Friend or stranger. Sorcerer or innocent little girl. It was so much harder than it should be. But as he stared helplessly into the girl's pleading green eyes, he already knew the answer. He felt his shoulders slump, and face crumple as he gave in. Closing his eyes and biting down on his lip to prevent tears, Arthur took a deep, excruciating breath before speaking through gritted teeth, in a voice that was almost a moan.

"Okay." He whispered, quietly enough that he could hardly hear the words, but loudly enough that everyone else could. "Okay."

He felt the whole room relax as he came spoke. He heard the three guards behind him let out breaths they'd been holding tensely as the Prince had struggled with his options. He heard the girl whimper in weak relief, before starting to sob through her gag. He heard the guard holding her grunt, whether in triumph or annoyance, he didn't know. He could practically hear the gleeful, self-satisfied smirk twisting Uther's mouth into a cruel smile. "Thank you Arthur." He said with the air of congratulating a child on doing their chores. Arthur felt his jaw clench and his teeth lock together at the smugness in his tone. He heard the girl sob again, and his eyes snapped open, scared that they were hurting her. But it was just the guard undoing the bonds around her wrists, and the strip of linen around her mouth. Once she was free the guard backed off, leaving her standing there, still sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Uther gestured for the guard to come back and escort her out, but Arthur's look of pure fury at the idea seemed to stop the guard in his tracks. "I think you've done quite enough." Said Arthur stiffly, voice trembling with badly suppressed rage, before stepping forward to put an arm around the girl.

At first, she flinched away from the contact, but he forced a reassuring smile onto his face before bending over so that he was on her level and looking her seriously in the eye. "It okay." He promised, placing a hand on her shoulder, satisfied when she didn't try to shake it off. "It's going to be alright. It's all going to be alright. I promise. No one is going to hurt you." The girl stared pleadingly into his eyes, before bursting into tears once more, falling down to her knees on the floor and sobbing into the wooden floorboards. Deciding that she was in no fit state to walk, Arthur scooped her up into his arms and straightened up before solemnly gesturing to Sir Leon to open the door, which he hurriedly did, looking grave and greatly troubled. Arthur walked over to the door, and with one long look of betrayal levelled at his father, he stroked the girl's chestnut hair, whispering "Shh. It's okay. It's okay." Repeatedly at her tiny, quivering form, before sweeping out of his father's private chambers, the three men who had escorted him there scurrying along behind him once more, and the weight of the world on his shoulders.

**Hope you liked it! Feeling depressed after writing it! Can't wait to write the next chapter! Please review and thanks again to headwig1010 for the idea which inspired this chapter!**


	10. Reunion

As Arthur walked through the corridors that led to the outside world, he realised that he had no idea where he was going. He looked down at the young girl who was still crying away in his arms, albeit a little more quietly than before. He sighed, realising that the only way to find out would be to interrupt her crying, a path he was sure was doomed for more sobbing. He slowed down to let the others catch up before posing his first question. "What's your name?" He asked the girl gently, trying not to startle her, and sure tat he was saying the wrong thing. Fortunately however, the girl's tears seemed to have lessened slightly away from the ominous presence of Uther and his guard. Sniffing slightly, she raised her head to look at him and spoke.

"Jessica." She whispered, seemingly too scared to speak any louder, apparently under the impression that Uther was going to pop up out of the darkness of early morning and tie her up again. It appeared that she wouldn't feel safe again until she was back in her house in the arms of her loving parents and away from the frightening castle with it's kidnapping King and looming shadows in every corridor induced by the flickering torch light.

Arthur smiled down at her reassuringly, pleased that he had managed to get her to speak. "Hello Jessica." He said softly, following her lead and making as little sound as possible while at the same time making sure she could hear him. "My name is Arthur. I'm the Prince of Camelot." Arthur saw Jessica's eyes widen into large, round orbs, filled with a combination of both admiration and fear. "Are you King Uther's son?"

"Yes." Arthur said flatly, a very ugly look coming over his face. "It's too bad you can't choose your family isn't it?" The girl smiled weakly and Arthur found himself positively beaming back. "Who are your parents Jessica?" He asked, hoping to learn whose house he should be delivering her to. But to his horror, Jessica did not answer, choosing instead to burst into tears again. Shooting a desperate look at the guards, Arthur stroked her hair again, murmuring, "Shh, it's okay. We're going to bring you back to your parents Jessica. It's okay. Don't be scared."

"I want my mummy." Jessica whimpered, swallowing her tears. "Where's my mummy?"

"Shh, it's okay. We're bringing you to her Jessica. Who is she? What's her name?"

"She's called Mummy." Said Jessica, looking up at Arthur and looking honestly confused.

"Yes," Said Arthur patiently, chuckling at the girl's innocent face. "But what's her real name Jessica? Everyone has a real name."

"Oh." Said Jessica, realisation dawning on her tiny features. "Mary. She's called Mary." As she said this, they reached the large double doors that marked the entrance to the castle. Arthur was pleased to see that the prospect of freedom being so near had Jessica's voice at a normal level. "And my daddy is called Matthew. He's a farmer."

"Okay." Said Arthur, seemingly satisfied with the information. "So you live near the outside of Camelot?" It was more of a statement than a question but Jessica still seemed to feel the need to answer.

"Yes." She said "I-" But she was cut off by the sound of a loud, shrill scream which pierced the silence of the night like a spear. "I think your mummy has realised that you're missing Jessica." Said Arthur gravely.

"Mummy." She whimpered.

"It's okay." Said Arthur, reassuringly. "We're nearly there." He followed the sound of the scream which had sounded only a few houses away, and made his way over to a narrow street near an open field. There seemed to be some sort of disturbance outside one of the houses that dotted the road, and he assumed that it was Jessica's parents confronting the neighbours. Hurrying his pace, he set off in that direction, the guards practically jogging along side him, and Jessica being jiggled up and down in his arms. By the time he reached the scene of the disturbance, a crowd had formed, all of whom turned to stare as he approached until a scream of "Jessica!" Filled the air, and a frantic looking woman rushed up to him and wrenched Jessica out of his arms, glaring at him distrustfully for a moment, before crying into her daughter's hair. "Jessica, where have you been?" She wailed, asking the girl but seemingly waiting for an answer from one of the four men before her judging by the expectant glances she was shooting at them. Arthur sighed, too tired to tell the story, and sagged onto the shoulder of Sir Leon. He hadn't realised how exhausted he was. He guessed that carrying the girl had taken more out of him than he had realised. "Sir Leon." He murmured to the man, who seemed to understand his meaning perfectly, for he begun to explain what had happened, as Jessica reached over from her mother's embrace to hold Arthur's hand. Smiling tiredly at her, he took it before listening to Sir Leon's explanation, and preparing for the gratitude of the anxious mother.

He forced a smile as the woman cried shamelessly into his shoulder, thanking him over and over again, but the smile felt painful and dishonest on his face. Listening to Sir Leon's recount of what had happened had brought back everything that the need to get Jessica back to her family had washed from his mind. His father was now in control of his guards. He was going to send them to look for Merlin. And it was all his fault. What had he done?

**Thank you for reading! Bit of a filler, I know, but it'll get more interesting! Promise! Please review! Reviews make me happy! I'll try to update ASAP. Read on! :)**


	11. Paper Work

On the third day, Arthur was already awake when the guards came knocking. This time, it was late enough that there was a soft golden light seeping into his chambers through the crack in his curtains, and the castle had been buzzing with servants preparing for the coming day for at least an hour or two. Arthur, who had not had a wink of sleep that night, too worried to sleep, was examining his face in the mirror once more when the not entirely-unexpected knocking at his door came, and he threw back the curtains, showering the room in surprisingly-bright light and half-blinding himself, before dragging himself over to the door, yawning widely. This time, he was ready for the hisses and gasps that were causes by his appearance. He knew that he didn't look good. As now, on top of the brutal-looking bruises and grazes littering his cheek and jaw, there were also dark shadows beneath his eyes from lack of sleep, only emphasised by the large bags that accompanied them. He was a mess.

"Sire." Said the Knight who had been sent to summon him today, speaking through gritted teeth in an effort to hide the anger his Prince's injuries had roused in him. "The King requires your presence in his conference room. He wishes to officialise the agreement you came to last night." The Knight seemed confused by this last sentence, and Arthur guessed that Uther had not actually explained to the man what his message meant, only bade him to bear it. Arthur sighed, deciding to wait rather than expand. The Knight would find out soon enough.

As he strolled down the corridors, he realised that he was receiving a number of odd looks from passers by, as well as some more sympathetic gasps and murmurs. However, things were ten times worse as he reached the conference hall and the two guards who had been guarding his room threw the doors open for him to walk through. At the sight of his injuries, whispers broke out through the room like little hissing fires, elevated in level by the echoing effect given by the walls. Ignoring the gasps and sympathetic groans, he strode, head held high, through the concerned and compassionate crowd to face his father at the front of the hall. Arthur felt his teeth grind together in frustration as he saw that Uther had rounded up all his Knights and lined them up at the front of the hall just before the raised platform on which he and his throne arrogantly sat. Arthur could tell by the looks on the Knight's faces, as the one who had summoned him joined their ranks, that none of them, other than Sir Leon, had been told of what had transpired the previous night and so were completely oblivious as to what was happening or why they were there. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Arthur raised his eyes from where they stood, straight-backed and proud as a Knight should stand, to his father seated smugly upon his throne, as the King gestured for the guard to call the public to order so the conference could begin.

"People of Camelot." Uther began in a loud, obtrusive voice, eyes flashing with pleasure and lips twisted in a triumphant smirk. "I have called you here on this day, to witness the signing of a very important document." Arthur looked up at his father in confusion, before his eyes locked upon a scroll latched in the King's triumphant fist that he had not noticed before. Arthur groaned inwardly at the sight of it. He should have known there old be paper-wok involved. His father was always one to rub things in, and what better way to do so than leering at him over a pile of paper-work that was just waiting to be unwillingly signed? Glaring at his father in intense dislike Arthur stepped forward to take the paper which the King was now holding out to him, with as much fury as physically possible in such a small action.

As he unfurled the scroll, his father continued his smug speech, obviously revelling in the suspense in his subjects faces and posture, for he kept them in the dark for as long as possible while Arthur scanned the scroll, frown deepening with every poisonous line.

"I am sure that you are all very confused, so allow me to explain." He began, clearly glorying in the blank confusion in the baffled faces of the Knights and the oblivious members of the public, as well as the pure loathing etched upon the faces of his son and Sir Leon. "I was visited in the early hours of the morning by my son here." He stated, ignoring the scornful way in which Arthur snorted at the word "visited". "After a rather… let's say stressful conversation, we managed to come to an agreement. You are here today, ladies and gentlemen, to witness Arthur handing his Knights over to my service." Murmurs broke across the room like waves against the shore, quickly morphing into excited chattering and eventually ascending into confused shouting. Arthur kept his jaw locked and eyes boring into his father's gloating face, as the gazes of every single person in the room were trained upon him like torches. But he did not break eye-contact with his father, with whom he appeared to have started a glaring war. He was determined that he would not lose.

Finally, with a sigh of impatience, Uther looked away in annoyance, while Arthur's lips turned up into a triumphant smirk. It was as if the positions had suddenly been switched, Arthur's face becoming arrogant and gloating, while his father glared at him angrily. Then the King handed him a feathered quill and a bottle of ink which wiped the smug grin from his face almost instantly. Forcing his face into a hard mask, Arthur mounted the raised platform and placed the scroll of paper upon the desk that had been conveniently placed there. He took a deep, painful breath before putting the tip of his quill to the paper, were it rested, quivering but otherwise motionless for a moment, before the image of Jessica's face washed through his mind, and he hastily scribbled his signature, handing over his Knights to his father and, in his mind, sealing Merlin's woeful fate.

**Hope you like it! I'm too tired to write anything much here, but please please please please review! Thanks! :)**


	12. Jessica's Visit

As Arthur swept determinately from the conference all, teeth locked together so hard that it was starting to hurt and he was sure that he had chipped a tooth, he realised that Gwenivere and Morgana (who he had not noticed in the conference hall but had clearly been there) were both shooting him poisonous, and somewhat betrayed looks. Breathing heavily in an attempt to control his desperation, he fixed his eyes forward and forced himself not to look back. He didn't want to have to see scorn or disappointment in either of their faces.

When he reached his chambers, he stepped inside and closed the door, not even bothering to take a look at the mangled face in the mirror that had become his obsession, as he dropped to the floor underneath the window ledge and leant his head against the wall in defeat, wallowing in the shame that was threatening to swallow him up entirely. His already overcrowded mind was only made more overburdened when he thought of the looks on the faces of the two women who were a couple of his closest friends as he had left the hall. He was sure that that did not bode well. Morgana could be a formidable enemy when upset, and he was sure that it was not a desirable thing to be on Gwen's bad side either, particularly not when he still had these feelings for her that he could not seem to get rid of. But his heavy thoughts were interrupted by yet another knock on his door. Wondering whether he could ever expect a moment's piece in this place he got up and made his way over to the door, half-expecting to be confronted by his father with a victory speech. So he was pleasantly surprised, upon opening the door, to come face with Jessica.

"Jessica!" He smiled in welcome, for the first time since the impromptu "visit" in his father's room the previous night not feeling guilty. Surely he had done the right thing, if it meant that the little girl could live to look so happy once more. "Prince Arthur!" She squealed, tumbling past the guards into the room and throwing his arms around the bemused Prince's waist. "I came to say thank you for not killing me yesterday!" She said brightly, and Arthur found himself chuckling at the phrasing of her gratitude.

"You're very welcome Jessica." He smiled down at the girl as she grinned widely, her eyes sparkling and chestnut hair looking considerably less unruly than during their first meeting. Beaming at him, she began to gabble at a faster pace than Arthur would have thought it possible to speak. "My mummy and daddy were going to come with me to say thanks, but they were busy so they might come later. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. My daddy's been very busy lately. Is that okay Prince Arthur? I'll come with them! It'll be fun!" Grinning bemusedly at the girl, Arthur nodded and smiled again as she gave him another hug. "Of course!" He said, quite sincerely. "Of course! I'll see you later. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that."

Jessica pouted for a moment, saying, "No making fun Prince Arthur!" Before her pout melted away into a grin and a chuckle slipped between her lips. "Bye bye Prince Arthur! I'm just going to go say hi to Sir Leon before I go back home!" She cried, before giving him yet another hug and skipping out of the door merrily. Arthur chuckled as he thought of what a difference not being under threat of her life had made to the girl. She was a lot more confident now. Arthur smiled at the spot in the doorway through which the girl had just disappeared, before the doors were shut by his stunned-looking guards (who had taken over from the guards who had escorted him to his father's chambers during the night) and he settled himself down under the scarlet sheets of his four-poster bed for the best night's sleep he'd had in days, free from the guilt and shame that had plagued him only minutes before, ad consumed instead by a deep sense of contentment and satisfaction.

**Thanks for reading! Sorry that it's so short :S I'll write some more soon :) Anyway please review! It'll make me EXTREMELY happy :) Read on!**


	13. The Note

Arthur slept for along time before his contented slumber was interrupted by yet another knock on the door. Slightly exasperated in which his guards seemed to be acted as an alarm clock, he slowly sat up and unwillingly threw off his bed clothes before rolling onto the floor and over to the door, wincing in the natural light burning his eyes from the un-curtained windows. Throwing the door open, he found himself once again face to face with Sir Leon, clearly carrying a message of some sort, judging by the furrow of his brows and the troubled frown of his mouth. Arthur looked at him questioningly, eyebrows arching above his cloudy blue eyes.

"Sire." Sir Leon bowed his head respectfully. "You must come sire. A message has arrived in Camelot which the King can not understand. You must come." For the first time, Arthur chose not to protest, his curiosity overpowering his hat for the King. "Of course." He said simply, gesturing for Sir Leon to lead the way. Walking in silence, they quickly reached the conference hall, where the King had a small crowd consisting of the Knights previously known as Arthur's Knights, the Lady Morgana, Gwenivere, and Gaius. As Arthur walked through the doors and approached the table the crowd was gathered around, he could feel Morgana and Gwenivere's eyes boring holes into his back, and he could have sworn that he heard Morgana hiss. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he raised his eyebrows at his father who seemed to understand that this meant he was expecting an explanation. Arthur noticed that the thing on the table that everyone was crowded around was a note, which Uther pushed over to him as he started to talk.

"A horse arrived in Camelot earlier this morning. It arrived without a rider but had this attached to his back instead. I thought that maybe you could enlighten me as to its meaning."

Arthur picked up the piece of paper, upon which was one single line of writing:

_You didn't honestly think I was going to steal your horse? Soon, my friend._

Arthur stared at the note for a full minute, hair obscuring his face from Uther's impatient gaze, before he felt a huge smile spread slowly across his face. He understood what the message meant. He remembered, for the hundredth time over, Merlin's departure from Camelot.

"_Merlin!" Cried Arthur, taking a quick break from the battle to talk to him. Merlin turned on his horse to speak to Arthur._

"_Sire?"_

"_Will you be coming back?"_

_Merlin grinned widely at him, "Just you try and stop me!" Then turned and began to ride away again._

"_And Merlin!" Arthur called after his departing form._

"_Yes?"_

"_That's my horse you're riding!"_

_And with one final laugh, and a final cry of anger from Uther, Merlin kicked his horse on, and rode out sight._

No one, other than Arthur and Merlin himself, had heard what had been said, having only seen Merlin riding away, on the very horse that Arthur was pretty sure had rode up to Camelot that morning, with this note attached to it's back. Only one person could have sent that note.

Then there were the last three words of writing. _Soon, my friend._ He could only thing of one thing that this line could mean. He thought of something else he had said. Something more recent.

"_Damn! I never thought I'd say it, but I miss you Merlin." He said, under his breath. "Come back soon, my friend.__"_

He grinned to himself. He had never considered the fact that Merlin might, from wherever his hideout was, be able to see the going on at the castle. Although, now that he thought about it, he had been pretty stupid to not think of this sooner. However, it was the double meaning in the three words which really made him smile. Firstly, the meaning that anyone in his position would be able to see. Merlin was coming back soon. But secondly, Merlin could see everything that went on in the castle. If he was indeed hiding out in the forest, he had a heads start to get out of there before the Knights came looking for him.

"Arthur?" Arthur was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of his father's impatient, aggravated voice. He looked up, forcefully wiping the smile from his face so as to avoid suspicion, to see that everyone in the conference hall was staring at him intently. He suddenly became conscious of the fact that he had been hunched over the piece of paper for a long time. "Yes?" He asked, face calm and inscrutable.

"Well, what do you make of it?" Asked Uther, sounding more annoyed with each word.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say, and then forcing his face into a suitably puzzled look; he screwed the note up in his hand and leveled a steady look at his father. Keeping eye-contact with the man, he spoke in a calm quiet voice. "Nothing." He lied smoothly, his elation bubbling away inside him, and threatening to burst though into his face and voice. "Nothing at all." And with that, he swept forcefully from the conference hall, note still crumpled in hand, and elation pouring out into his features, not even caring about the glared slicing into his back like knives.

**Thanks for reading! Do you like it? Let me know! Review review review please :P Read on!**


	14. Revelation

Arthur had barely made it through the double doors to his chambers when yet another knock disturbed his peace. Hearing a scuffle on the other side of the doors and sensing danger, he hastened to open it. He got a surprise when the doors where opened, and he could plainly see the cause of the commotion.

"Let me go!" Spat Morgana, writhing around and trying to break free from the arms that were restraining her. "Let me go you brainless dimwits! Let go of me!" Gwen, who was likewise being held back, took the slightly politer approach, merely trying to shake her arm out of her captor's grip and scowling when his hold remained strong.

"Sire." Came the out-of-breath voice of the guard who was holding onto Morgana. "I'm sorry sire. They insisted on seeing you. They nearly barged right through your door. We thought it best to hold them back until you were ready to talk to them." The guard broke off to scowl at Morgana as she stamped down on his foot in an attempt to free herself, but his pincer-like grip did not so much as loosen. Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes, before deciding that things had gone far enough.

"Release them." He smirked, not bothering to hide his amusement at Morgana's undignified appearance as she was released. Gesturing to the two women to follow him, he swept back through the doors and into his chambers, wondering at the reason for the fury, bordering on hate, in Morgana's fiery eyes and fierce expression. The doors had barely been shut before Morgana started yelling at him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Arthur Pendragon!" Morgana declared in the over-dramatic way that she always adopted when wishing to manipulate. "Merlin's supposed to be your friend! And you just gave him up to your father like that! Have you no spine at all Arthur?"

"Oh…" Arthur sighed, as he realised why he'd been receiving such poisonous looks from the two women since he'd signed his men over to his father. "You think that I gave to please my father." He could hear a bite of underlying anger coursing through his voice. Did they really think he was such a coward?

"What?" Asked Morgana mockingly, seeing the hurt and broken pride on his face. "Hurt, are you? Well, you should be after what you've done!"

"Morgana-" He began, but he was interrupted by Gwen's gentle voice as she questioned him.

"Arthur." She said, the pain of having to yell at him clear in her face. "Why did you do it?"

But Arthur was saved the trouble of having to answer by the third knock of the day sounding on his door. "Come in!" He said, too stressed to make the short journey to the door and open it himself.

"Hi Prince Arthur!" Came an excited voice, and Arthur looked to see Jessica's tiny figure in the doorway, beaming at him.

"Jessica, hi!" He said, smiling back at her. "And please, it's Arthur."

"Okay Arthur. And please, it's Jess." Said Jess, sticking her tongue out and him and grinning widely.

"Jess it is." He said, returning her grin and pulling a face at her stuck out tongue. From the corner of his eye, he could see Morgana and Gwen exchanging stunned looks. Jess however, took no notice. "I brought a flower for you to say thank you for saving my life." She said, beaming and holding up a single sprig of lavender. "And my mummy and daddy are going to come and say thanks in a minute."

"Great." He said, smiling at the girl, and taking the lavender from her outstretched hand. As he turned to find some water to put it in, he realised that Gwen and Morgana were staring at him in shock. Chuckling at their expressions, he made the necessary introductions.

"Jess, this is Morgana, my father's ward, and Gwenivere, her maid. Gwen, Morgana, this is Jess. Her father owns a farm near the outskirts."

Jess smiled brightly at the women, bouncing over to give them each a quick hug. "Arthur saved my life." She said, in a tone that suggested she was remarking on an everyday occurrence. "His daddy told me that if he didn't give him some men then he would kill me." Her smile faded and she began to tremble at the thought. "I don't like his daddy. He's not very nice." Arthur's smile became rather fixed as Jess frowned and shivered. He could feel Gwen and Morgana's gazes fixed on him intently, but he couldn't meet either of their eyes.

"I don't think anyone likes my father." Said Arthur gravely as another knock interrupted their conversation. "Come in!" He called, then smiled as he heard Jess shriek happily at the two people standing in the doorframe.

"Mummy! Daddy!"

…

After a long time of Jess's mother crying gratefully into Arthur's shoulder and her father repeatedly shaking his hand, they finally announced that they had to leave and, taking Jess with them, they made their way out of his chambers and back to their farm-house, leaving Arthur alone in the room with Gwen and Morgana. An uncomfortable silence settled over them before Gwenivere spoke.

"Is it true? That you had to sacrifice Merlin to save Jess?"

Arthur shot her a disbelieving look before replying. "Of course it's true. What reason would she have to lie?" The women exchanged an uncomfortable glance before turning back to him, their faces apologetic and slightly horrified. "Arthur…" Said Morgana, biting her lip. "I'm so sorry."

"That's fine." Said Arthur with a twisted smile. "They won't find him anyway."

"I meant-"

"I know." He smiled, then sighed. "I'm a little tired. Do you mind-"

"No, of course not!" Said Gwen quickly, curtsying to him hurriedly and excusing herself. Morgana merely stood there staring at him for a few more moments before shaking herself out of her reverie and shooting him one more heart-breaking-ly apologetic look before scurrying out of Arthur's room like a frightened little mouse after her maid. Arthur sighed and stared into space for a bit as he relived the events of the night he had saved Jess's life before lowering himself fully clothed onto his bed, and settling into a troubled sleep.

**Thanks for reading! ****I've just added a bit more to this chapter so that I could move on to something different in the next one! Please keep reading :)**


	15. Emergency Meeting

**Hello! I just added some more to the end of the last chapter if you want to check it out. Thanks everyone for the reviews this had got so far! Love all you guys who are reviewing!**

Arthur enjoyed a whole blessed week of uninterrupted sleep, with not a single knock on his door during all that time other than Jess's daily visits, Morgana and Gwen coming once again to apologise, and a messenger from his father letting him know that the search party for Merlin had set out. But before he knew it, he was lying in bed and groaning at the sound of a spear knocking sharply against his wooden door which had woken him. Making his way over to the door and looking at his face on the way (which was looking much better) he pulled the door wide and groggily faced his visitor.

"Yeah?" He asked sleepily, too tired for pleasantries, as he made out the face of Sir Leon.

"Sire." The man said, looking unusually grave. "We have a problem."

…

"_What?_" Arthur cried, staring at his father in utter horror, dread leaking through him like poison. "_What_ did you say?"

"Cenred's men." Said Uther stiffly, emotionless as always. "At least a hundred of them. Making their way for Camelot as we speak." He leveled a grave look at his son. "We must prepare for a siege."

Arthur stared at his father in shock for a second before shaking his head without quite knowing why he was doing it, too shocked to absorb the words, content to let them bounce around in the echo-y hall for a while longer before being admitted into his brain. He gulped loudly as a thought that should have been obvious from the start occurred to him, filling him with trepidation.

"How many men did you say Cenred has?" He asked quietly, already knowing the answer but feeling the need to hear the words aloud. His father hesitated for a moment before answering.

"At least a hundred."

"And how many men do we have?" He asked, dangerously low. This time his father's hesitation was longer and more obvious, as he glanced guiltily around the room, looking anywhere but at his son's accusing face.

"Sixty at the most."

Arthur let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding in a huff. In a stiff, emotionless voice, he stated, "You sent too many men away." There was no obvious anger in his voice, but his disappointment in his father was obvious. After all, if it hadn't been for Uther and his stupid, pointless stubbornness, Merlin wouldn't be in hiding right now, and he wouldn't have too many men than Camelot could afford to lose chasing him down.

Uther took a deep breath before answering, in a surprisingly honest manner. "Yes."

If his father had answered in any other way, Arthur would've thrown a major hissy fit, but Uther's frank honesty wore him down. Besides, what was done was done. There was no changing what had happened. He couldn't turn back the clock and stop the Knights from leaving to track Merlin down. So he did the only thing he could do in the circumstances. He got a hold on his anger and disappointment, tucked his fear away into a remote corner of his mind the way only a Knight could, and set his mind into planning mode. He saw his father visibly relax as he did.

"Leon!" Arthur barked, in too much of a rush to refer to the man by his proper title.

"Sire?"

"Gather the remaining Knights and have them assemble here. We need to plan. Go! We have little time!"

"Yes sire."

"Go!"

Sir Leon, seeming to grasp the seriousness and haste of the situation all too well, did not waste time by gracing either the King or the Prince with a bow as he left, a fact which surely on any other day would have made Uther's mouth press into a thin, disapproving line, but today he merely ignored. The two men could hear Leon shouting frantically to any guards he passed, calling out orders without waiting for an answer and sprinting so fast that his footsteps seemed to meld together in the echo-y corridor, making it seem more like one huge footstep than many very quick ones. As this strange sound rapidly faded into the distance, Arthur turned to face his father, who was eying him with a look of honest trepidation. It was the most human expression that had graced his face in years. And as Arthur looked, he found it impossible to be angry. He merely gave him a long, hard stare, which Uther acknowledged with a grudging nod. They both understood the meaning in this silent exchange. Arthur would not ask any questions or make any accusations, and Uther would not try to defend himself or try to act as if he had done right. It may have seemed odd to any bystander the way in which the conversation was held inside their heads rather than out loud but, Uther not being a very vocal man when it came to his feelings, and it being a very rare thing to receive any heart-felt words from his direction, Arthur was thoroughly used to this form of telepathic conversation. It was how he had related to his father all his life.

They were interrupted from their silent exchange by the arrival of the first few Knights who had, judging by their worried and fearful expressions, already been clued in on the situation by Sir Leon. Arthur remained silent as his father spread a large map across the table, merely gesturing for the Knights to gather round while they waited for everyone else to turn up. Finally, after what felt like hours, but in reality could not have been more than a few minutes, the hall was crowded and filled with a tense, surreal silence, while the Knights waited for some one to begin. After a quick nod of the head from Uther, which Arthur took to mean he was passing the responsibility of talking onto him, the Prince began.

"You all know why you're here." He started, not quite knowing where he was going with this speech as his father normally handled the technicalities, but saying what he felt had to be said nevertheless. "We are on the brink of yet another battle. Cenred's men are marching on Camelot as we speak, armed with weapons, armour, horses, and the lot. When first spotted at around three this very morning, they were residing here," He pointed to the appropriate point on the map, "in the foothills of the white mountains. There are, it is reported, a hundred of them at least. We predict that they will be reaching Camelot in the early hours of tomorrow morning, as many of them are travelling on foot."

A deathly silence filled the room at his words as the dread and horror of the situation filled the minds of every Knight present. Arthur watched with pride as the faces of his men gradually changed into the brave, determined masks that he now wore. They were no more the fearful men awaiting the news of their situation. They were the Knights of Camelot. The bravest, the boldest, and the fairest in all the land. Arthur smiled to himself, the pride bubbling up in his chest like boiling soup, and turned his attention to the finer details of the planning before sending them all on their way to gather supplies, polish their armour, and generally do everything that had to be done. He saw a flash of something that, if he hadn't known better, he would've sworn was pride on his father's face. He guessed it was one of those emotion-filled moments in which Uther took down the shield he always kept up around his feelings that so rarely ever happened. Arthur waited patiently, as Uther struggled for the right words, knowing that they would eventually come.

"You did well." Said Uther finally, a hint of some strange emotion in his suddenly-soft grey eyes. Pride? Affection? Love? If that look had been in anyone else's eyes, then Arthur would have assumed it was all three, but this was Uther. He didn't do affection. He very rarely did pride. And he _never_, under any circumstances did love. But as Uther continued to speak, Arthur felt his opinions on his father's emotions wavering.

"With the Knights, you did well." Uther clarified. "They trust you. You will be a good leader when I am gone."

Arthur stared, mouth gaping open, wondering if his father had been possessed by some sort of spirit that took you over and fed on your brains for breakfast. A feeling that was only intensified by the next words that tripped out of his father's mouth, stumbling on the sheer unfamiliarity of the statement. "I'm proud of you Arthur. Don't forget that."

And with that, the King swept from the room, the end of his robes collecting dust as they brushed against the floor, leaving his son standing speechless in the middle of the hall.


	16. Before the Battle

**So sorry for the long wait but I have been like SERIOUSLY busy :( FORIGVE ME!**

"Men!" Arthur called, stepping forward to the front of the crowd of his Knights with his head held high and a fierce determination ringing through his raised voice. "It is time." He said, his voice grave but sure, bringing both cold fear and resolved hope to the hearts of his men with just the one short sentence. "But before you go out there and fight," He said, looking around at his men as he stepped onto the raised platform of the hall, and injecting trust and optimism into every pair of eyes that met with his. "There is something that I wish to say."

Arthur paused for effect, eyes still scouring the room, meeting every pair of anxious eyes, and trying to sooth their anticipation. "Ever since group of our men left Camelot, Cenred and his men have been scheming. This is, they think the best chance they have had in years, or possibly will ever have, to take over our kingdom by force and make it their own." There were a number of resentful hisses at this statement, and every pair of eyes hardened considerably. "They think, that because they outnumber us in men, they overrule us in skill. They think, that because some of our number has left, that our kingdom has become weaker. But _I _think that King Cenred is a coward!" Jeers echoed around the main hall as Arthur made this declaration, and there was a huge amount of shouts of agreement and mocking laughter. "I think that King Cenred is stupid! I think that King Cenred is deluded! For only a coward would attack our kingdom at its weakest point just because they think they can! Only someone truly stupid could think that having less people deteriorates our skill! Only someone deluded could think, that just because a few of our men are elsewhere, they could defeat the Knights of Camelot!" A huge cheer went round the room at this statement, and Arthur waited patiently with a smile on his face for the excitement to die down slightly. He had more to say.

"And when you go out there today, I want you to remember one thing! This attempt at a siege is an act of desperation! They fight now because they are afraid to do it at another time! And why do we fight? We fight so that the people of our kingdom can live in peace! We fight for the protection of our homes and workplaces! We fight...For the love of Camelot!" He held up his sword to salute his men, and was answered with an empowered roar and an answering salute. And with that, Arthur gave one approving nod at the looks of hope and determination on the faces of his Knights before leading the way through the huge double doors and over to the very outermost post of the kingdom, standing ready to fight.

...

Merlin closed his eyes and threw his head back to take a deep breath of fresh, forest air as he reached the bottom of the mountain in which lay his cave and pondered a way to get up with his supplies. He'd been out hunting all day, or rather coaxing animals to come to him with magic, before putting an arrow through them with a wince. He tried not to think of how hypocritical it was that he flinched at the sight of blood and yet had no problem with feasting on an animal carcass. He was desperate. He had no choice.

He sighed as he accepted what he had already known. There was no way up the mountain without magic. That was why he'd chosen his cave hideout after all. So, slinging the dead deer over his shoulder, he mumbled a few words to himself and closed his eyes as the ground disappeared from under him, and he rose up into the air. In no time at all, he was at the cave mouth and could open his eyes again without having to be terrified of the fact that he was floating through mid-air. Setting his catch down on the floor, he bounded over to the basin, not really expecting to see anything more terrible than Arthur being put in the stocks for whatever act of defiance he had caused now. What he really did see made his eyes pop open wider and a shocked gasp slip through his teeth. He immediately murmured the spell to let him hear Arthur's words and listened intently.

"...for the protection of our homes and workplaces!" Said the Prince, who was garbed in polished armour for battle and was clearly giving some kind of motivational speech. "We fight... For the love of Camelot!" The congregant of Knights cheered and clapped, before eagerly following the Prince as he bounded through the main hall's double doors. Merlin gaped at the basin for a moment before letting the image fade away into transparent-ness. He stood there in the middle of the cave, stock still for a moment, before suddenly, throwing back his head and letting out a loud, throaty, commanding roar. In the time it took for the soft batting of wings to be heard in the distance approaching his hideout, he had already packed his few possessions into a bag and was pacing impatiently up and down the cave as he waited.

**Thanks for reading! Sorry for any typos but I was in a bit of a rush writing this and I can't really be bothered to go over it right now. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I figure out how best to write it. Please review and I'll update soon :)**


	17. The Fighting Starts

**Here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! I hope you all like it! :)**

It was deadly quiet on the chosen battleground where Arthur had set up his troops to wait. Any minute now, and the first of Cenred's men would be seen on the horizon. Arthur could feel his heart pounding like a rapidly beating drum trapped in his chest. Any minute now…

"Arthur," The Prince turned at the sound of his voice to see Guinevere's head poking out from behind a tree.

"Guinevere!" Arthur hissed as he quickly made his excuses to his Knights and made his way over. "What are you doing here? Go back to the castle! It's not safe! A battleground is no place for a woman!"

"I don't see how being a man makes you any safer than us Arthur." Said a silky voice and Arthur turned to see Morgana approaching from behind another tree where she had been hiding. "Being a man doesn't make you superior to us. In fact, I think a woman would last longer in battle. Men feel less comfortable with killing women than women do with killing men. You know gallantry and all that."

"Morgana!" He said in a low, dangerous voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh come on! Did you really expect us to sit and wait in the castle like the good little girls we are? Honestly Arthur! You're worse than Uther! Speaking of which, where is our honoured patron? Has he gone to terrorise another innocent? Or is he strutting around getting his servants to lick his royal boots clean for him?"

Arthur nearly smiled at the anger flashing in Morgana's ice blue eyes, but held back his amusement. Now was not the time. "He's leading the east wing of our army. Making sure they're all ready. Now _what are you doing here_?" He said, getting rather tired of his question being left unanswered.

"We came to fight." Said Morgana plainly, looking at him as though it were perfectly obvious.

"Ha ha - no!" Arthur deadpanned, glaring at the two women angrily. "Get back to the castle. You're not fighting today! Or ever really."

"Yeah," Morgana scoffed, "Like we need your permission! Face it Arthur – we're here, you're short on men, we were a big help last time. We're going to help again this time and there is nothing you can do about it so close your mouth and get back to your Knights. They need their Prince. Arthur opened his mouth to deliver a heated reply but was cut off by the sound of a horn somewhere in the distance. He whipped around to see a line of black advancing on the horizon that he took to be the first of Cenred's men. He leapt forwards and was about to spring to the front of his men to lead them before he remembered the two women were still there. "Gwen, Morgana, Go! Now!" He said, before scurrying off to his men, knowing that they had no intention on obeying him but desperately hoping that they would anyway. He had too much on his mind already to have to worry about Gwen and Morgana too. As he approached is men, he levelled a solemn look at them that each and every one of them understood. It was time.

…

They had been standing ready for a while before the first line of Cenred's men met them. With a cry of "Charge!" a drawing of swords, and a deep preparatory breath, Arthur plunged himself into their ranks, stabbing, cutting, and hacking at any limbs or other body parts that came in his way with frightening accuracy and precision. As he fought, he left a mound of bodies, men and horses alike, in his wake. He was tempted to blunder blindly forward, continuing what he was doing, but he was a Prince and he had a duty to protect his people, so he fell back to help the rest of his Knights as well as himself. With a mask-like face that disguised the true anger and down-right fear burning away in the pit of his stomach, he tore down any man that came before him or his troops.

Suddenly, a cry pierced the air, and he turned to see one of his Knights keeling to the ground, sword buried in his hip. Lunging forwards, Arthur speared his attacker on the end of his sword like a kebab and protected the now helpless man (who was not dead but most definitely would be if he took another blow) by slashing his sword in the direction of anyone who came in his path. "You okay?" He shouted to the man, knowing that the question was stupid and utterly useless.

"I'll… I'll live… sire." The man gasped and Arthur nodded distractedly as he ran another man through with his sword. It took another couple of hours, and many casualties, before Arthur's Knights had managed to plough through the first set of Cenred's men. Many of them fell to the ground where they stood, drooping with exhaustion, while others raced over to tend to the injured and a couple went off to find King Uther and check that all was well. Arthur groaned as he spotted another line of troops advancing on the horizon. At this rate, they wouldn't last long at all.

"You!" He said, calling to a random Knight that was hauling an injured man to the closest house he could find to be tended to. "Make sure that any dead or injured bodies are out of the way by the time the next group on Cenred's men meet us. And find the Lady Morgana and her serving maid Gwen and fid out if they're okay. Now!" The guard quickly bade another man o carry the injured man away and went to carry out his orders, shouting instructions to other Knights as he went.

Suddenly, Arthur heard a loud, thrumming, batting noise coming closer and closer. He saw people begin to mutter and point but was stopped from going to find the source of the disturbance by the arrival of Gwen and Morgana. "Are you two okay?" He asked urgently, about to rush up to them, when suddenly, he felt something sharp and pointy at the middle of his back.

"I'd ask you for money," A terribly familiar voice said, a smile in his voice, "But I know you wouldn't give me any."

**Thanks for reading! I'll put the next chapter up as soon as I can but I'm being kicked off the computer at the moment so I can't work on it right now. Please leave reviews – I love them! I hope you like this chapter and keep reading! :)**


	18. The Return

**You see how much I love you guys? I'm updating three times in one day! I think that's ser****iously devoted :) Thanks to InuYasha'sFox for the PM! This chapter's for you! Enjoy!**

"Merlin!" Arthur whipped around so fast that he lost his balance and nearly fell over. His sword, which had been in his hand when he spun round, had whistled through the air and come to a halt in the exact place where Merlin's head would have been if the man had not ducked out of the way at the very last second. Beaming from ear to ear in a grin that seemed to big to fit on his face, the manservant stepped up out of his crouch, chuckling at Arthur's expression (which resembled that of a little boy on Christmas morning) rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he straightened up to his full height. "Put the sword down Arthur. You look ridiculous." He teased, his eyes glinting with amusement, before he was pulled into a brotherly embrace by the Prince, leaving him completely shocked. Not pausing to take in Merlin's surprise however, Arthur turned around to shout over his shoulder to Gwen and Morgana who were both standing stock still and gaping at Merlin as though he were a ghost.

"Guinevere! Morgana! It's Merlin! Merlin's here! Merlin's here!" Arthur chanted, shouting the words at them elatedly as though they could not see Merlin themselves. Finally breaking out of her shocked trance, Gwen stepped forwards, gliding forwards as though she were in a dream. "Mer… Merlin?" She stammered, staring at him with the large, chocolate brown orbs that ere her eyes.

He grinned and stepped forwards toward the two women, his smile stretching so far it almost hurt to look at. "Did you miss me?" He asked playfully, bright blue eyes dancing.

"Merlin!" Gwen cried, launching herself into his arms and pulling him into a breath-constricting hug. "You're here! You're here! Are you really here?"

Laughing as he pulled back from the hug, Merlin rubbed his squashed ribs, which felt as though she had left dents in them from being squeezed so hard. "I'll take that as a yes." He smiled, before turning to Morgana, only to find that she wasn't where he had been expecting and had already pulled his into a tight hug. "Merlin!" She exclaimed, re-squashing his ribs. "Is it really you?" He laughed again as he was set free, and the sound was like music to everybody's ears. They had missed Merlin's laughter.

"Of course it is silly!" He grinned, playfully poking her in the ribs. Suddenly he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. "Ow!" He exclaimed, and turned around fully expecting to see Uther or one of the guards, only to be faced with a furious looking Arthur, who was glaring at him angrily. "What was that for?" He whined, rubbing the back of his head indignantly.

"Don't you ever leave for that long again!" Arthur criticised, jabbing an angry finger in Merlin's face. Merlin actually looked afraid for a second before his face split into a beatific smile.

"I missed you too sire." He smiled, bowing mockingly to the Prince with raised eyebrows.

"I don't remember saying anything about missing you." Arthur said loftily, but Merlin, catching his teasing tone, merely stuck his tongue out at him, before their little reunion was broken up by a guard advancing on their party.

"Sire! Cenred's men are approaching. It looks like Cenred is leading this group." Suddenly, Arthur's face was blank and businesslike, as though he was shoving all his feelings into a draw in the back of his mind in preparation for the fight. He turned to his three friends urgently as Cenred and his men drew closer and closer.

"Look, you three have got to get out of here. It's not safe." Once again, the two women opened their mouths to argue, but Merlin merely snorted, cutting them off and causing Arthur to tear his eyes away from the approaching army in order to give him the raised eyebrows "Don't you dare contradict me" look.

Merlin sighed. "Really Arthur!" He exclaimed, looking at the Prince pityingly. "Do you really think I walked here?"

"What?" Arthur asked, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. "Who said anything about how you got here?"

Smirking and shaking his head in disbelief, Merlin stepped forwards, cutting away from the rest of the Knights and his friends so that he was standing in the no-mans land between the two armies, dangerously close to Cenred's quickly approaching men. Ignoring the warnings and calls of his name sent after him, Merlin cockily looked over his shoulder at Arthur, saying mockingly, "You know Arthur, sometimes I think you forget who I am." And giving no more explanation than that, Merlin through back his head and let out a loud, deep, indistinguishable roar, causing every one in the vicinity to jump and stare at him.

The roar was pretty incomprehensible, but Arthur thought he caught the word "Kilgara" whatever that meant. There was a moment of silence in which everybody stared at Merlin as though he'd gone mad and a few people snickered, but then the quiet was shattered by the loud, pounding, thumping noise of large wings hitting the air hard. Suddenly, a large dragon that Arthur was certain he had seen before dropped out of the air and made his way toward Merlin, who merely grinned up at it, ignoring the pointless warnings Arthur shouted at him. Gwen however, smiled, understanding completely what was going on, and put a small, warm hand on Arthur's arm, restraining him from leaping to Merlin's aid. "Remember what he is." She whispered to him comfortingly, and smiled as she saw the comprehension dawn on Arthur's face as he stared from Merlin to the dragon and back. They seemed to be having their own little conversation in roars and howls. It was very strange. Suddenly the dragon took off again. It didn't go very far though, choosing instead to circle protectively around Merlin's head. Turning back around, Merlin made his way back over to Arthur, a smirk fixed firmly on his face. Arthur, trying to be cool about the fact that his best friend was on speaking terms with a dragon, and take it in his stride, smirked back.

"Making friends?" He asked mockingly, chuckling at Merlin's smug expression.

"More like getting reacquainted with an old one. My father knew him years before I did."

The two men smiled at each other for a minute before Arthur pulled Merlin into yet another hug. "I've missed you Merlin." He said, smiling.

"What is it with you and battles?" Merlin asked, grinning at Arthur, who clearly felt very uncomfortable about expressing emotions of any kind, even to a friend he hadn't seen in months. "It's like you put away all your emotions until you're in mortal danger and then they all come bubbling to the surface." Chuckling at the way in which Arthur was glaring at him, Merlin punching him chummily on the arm. "Aww am I making you blush?" He chuckled, earning himself another glare. And before he knew what was going on, Arthur had pulled his head into his arm and was giving him a noogie. Merlin, caught somewhere in the middle of laughing at Arthur's discomfort and cursing as his head was bruised by his friends knuckles, batted his hand away, pouting, and went over to stand next to Gwen, a safe distance away. "Protect me Gwen!" He begged as he crouched behind her, hiding. This earned him affectionate chuckles from his three friends, and caused the rest of the guard to jump back, cursing and swearing as Kilgara snorted and a spark of fire shot from his nostrils. Suddenly, the Knights were pulling out their swords and advancing on the dragon, clearly having taken the fire as an act of violence rather than a display of mirth.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Merlin said quickly, stepping in front of the dragon and trying to shield him with his arms (a tricky task as the dragon was surrounded on all sides). "You lay a finger on my flying friend over here and I'll remove it from your hand." The Knights stared at him for a second before backing away. That was when Cenred's men hit the ranks of the Knights of Camelot.

**Thanks for reading! Keep leaving reviews! I love them! When I signed in and saw that I had over 60 reviews I totally flipped out :) Keep reading!**


	19. The Sorcerer

**Thanks for all the reviews! I live for them :) Enjoy!**

Cenred was the first to reach the Knights of Camelot. Head held high and shield protectively in front of his torso, he sat proudly upon his black war horse, and shouted at the Knights, "Is this the best you can do? We've got enough men back there to last all day!" He gestured with his head back the way he'd come and Arthur felt his stomach churn at the thought of how much more blood would be spilled today. He gasped in horror as Merlin leant over to him, whispering in his ear, "Leave this to me." Before strolling confidently to stand before the Knights, as casually as though they were there for a social event.

"Cenred." He said, nodding his head in acknowledgement and sending a mocking bow his way. "Nice of you to drop by. It's a nice day for it isn't it?"

"Who the hell are you?" Cenred spat at him, glaring through angry black eyes.

"Me? I'm nobody! Forget me! No, what you should be worrying about is him!" He pointed heavenwards, and Cenred looked up blankly for a moment before a loud, eardrum-shattering roar sounded just behind Merlin and he looked up to see a dragon holding itself aloft in the air. As he stared the dragon snarled and looked to Merlin seemingly for permission to blow all their heads off. Merlin chuckled, and gave Kilgara a quick nod before turning back to Cenred. "If I were you," He began, looking extremely smug, "I'd run."

They did. Suddenly, Cenred's men were tripping over each other in their haste to get away from Kilgara, but the dragon was too quick. Flames poured out of his mouth like water from a tap and licked and wriggled their way through the ranks of Cenred's men, burning anyone or anything in their way. Behind him, Arthur's men began to cheer. Merlin chuckled.

"Not so fast Cenred!" He called, voice booming over the ranks of his men to reach the King. Cenred turned. "You wouldn't want to miss all the fun!" He called gloatingly, before raising his hand up to face him, palm toward the King, and shouting out something Cenred couldn't understand. Suddenly, the King felt his horse turn beneath him, cantering toward the suddenly golden-eyed boy like his life depended on it. Seeing the look of fury and terror on Cenred's face, Merlin chuckled again. Coming to his senses, Cenred attempted to pull himself off the saddle, only to find that his feet were stuck to the stirrups like superglue. Finally realising his fate, he let out a roar of fury and began trying to redirect his horse. "Sorry Cenred, not going to work." Merlin said, grinning wickedly as Cenred's horse reached him and began to nuzzle its long face into his shoulder, "I think your horse has taken a liking to me! Arthur!" He called suddenly, half turning around to look for the Prince. "You going to help me get Cenred to the castle or what? Arthur?" He asked, looking at him questioningly as he finally realised that Arthur was staring at him open-mouthed, not taking in a word he said. Merlin chuckled and turned to another pain of guards. "You two!" He said, nodding to the King, "Take this thing to the castle!" He eyed the King distastefully as he placed a hand to the saddle and murmured a few words that would allow the King to dismount. The moment he did, he was seized by the two guards and led roughly up to the castle. Merlin approached where Arthur was still standing mouth agape.

"Arthur?" He said slowly, waving a hand in front oh the Prince's face. "You there?"

Arthur made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a question, which Merlin took to mean, "What the hell just happened?" He chuckled.

Turning to his two other friends, he said, "Let's go!" And turned to make his way to the castle, when a voice boomed over the heads of the crowd and he froze.

"You!"

**Thanks for reading! Sorry this is so short! The next chapter will be longer. Please review!**


	20. Sacrifice

Merlin froze where he stood, each muscle in his body tensing in fearful anticipation, his heart hammering in his chest like a trapped bird and his pulse throbbing loudly behind his ears. He close his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, before slowly, very slowly, turning on the spot to face the very man he'd been running from for months. "Uther." Merlin said coldly, making no attempt to hide his disgust for the man. But behind the hard, cold mask he wore, the slightest shred of fear could be detected. Before his father could do anything, Arthur took a quick step in front of Merlin, placing himself firmly between his father and his friend. His face was cold as ice and his eyes flashed with steel behind their clear blue irises. His contempt for his father was matched only by that of his father for his son's manservant.

"Arthur, what do you think you are doing?" Uther asked coldly, grey eyes boring into him angrily. Despite the depth of his anger however, Uther managed to keep his cool. After all the years of practise, he was a master of the poker face.

"Stopping you from hurting my friend over here!" Arthur replied heatedly, eyes flashing, "What's he done to you?" He demanded angrily.

"Melrin-"

"Er... It's Merlin actually." Merlin interceded, earning himself a glower from Uther and an exasperated eye roll from Arthur. _Does he always have to say the wrong thing?_ Arthur asked himself as the crowd of avidly watching Knights began to titter. Catching Uther's furious expression, Merlin backed off, mumbling quietly as he did so, "Never mind." Arthur quickly bit down on his lip as he suddenly felt the corners of his lips tug up into an involuntary smirk. Fighting the urge to scoff at his manservant's foolishness, Arthur turned back to his father with cold, unyielding eyes as he continued his little speech.

"_Merlin_," Uther began, in what it appeared Merlin found a much more acceptable manner, "has practised magic in my kingdom. He must-"

"Be punished?" Arthur finished off his father's speech with a bored, weary air. "Yes I've heard this little speech before. What do you do, practise it every night in front of your mirror before bed? Well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to break it to you father, but your words lose their effect slightly after you've heard them at least a dozen times a month." Arthur smirked as his father gasped and spluttered in speechless fury, and a few cheers and jeers could be heard from the back of the crowd. Arthur thought he actually caught a "You tell him sire!" From somewhere off to his left. Behind him, he heard Merlin chuckle.

"How… How dare you!" Uther managed to blurt out as he somewhat recovered his senses. He straightened up in an effort to make himself look taller and more imposing. "I am your father and I demand some respect!"

"Erm… Sorry _father_ but I'm pretty sure you've used that one on me before as well. So sorry to rain on your parade." He heard Morgana snicker from where she was keenly watching the father/son confrontation and could practically feel the reverent, almost worshipful, awe in her eyes boring into his side. He smirked again, slightly vindictively, as it occurred to him how odd it was that the only thing that seemed to be able tear Arthur and his adopted sister away from their constant bickering and force them to unite was their disdain for their King. It was twisted and wrong, but it gave him a strange, savage kind of satisfaction to know that the two people who his father claimed to mean more to him than anyone else in the world, were the two most strongly opposed to his morals. He felt his self-satisfied smirk slide off his face and a sigh slip through his lips as he wondered to himself how his anger towards his father could possibly have reached this point. But he shook the feeling off. He had more important matters on his mind right now. Like the questionable shade of puce that his father's face was turning.

"If you know what is good for you Arthur, you will close your mouth right now." Arthur shook his head sorrowfully as he held back the witty retort that instantly sprung to mind. More important things. He couldn't help but say _something_ though.

"What, are you going to get one of your men to slap me again?" He asked cuttingly, with a voice which could cut ice. "Or are you going to take a swing yourself this time? Maybe that will give you more satisfaction." He allowed the scorn he felt to colour his tone, letting his words ring out, jaded and cynical and bitter. He was getting tired of his father's vague threats and the looming punishments stacking up against him which were no doubt being planned while he spoke. It was time for someone to make a stand against the King. And if that someone had to be him, then so be it.

"Arthur," Uther said in a choked voice, sounding honestly regretful, "I cannot tell you how much I regret that."

"Is that so?" Arthur asked, casting off his father's so-called regret with unrelenting eyes. "And yet, here you are, threatening me again." Uther's face crumpled at the words, but he remained adamant. This had clearly gone far enough. This impossible affection his son held for the manservant was senseless and had to stop. It had to come to an end.

"Let us return to the Castle," Uther said coaxingly, deciding it was best to lull his son into a false sense of security if he wanted to return to the Castle before nightfall. "We could stand here discussing this all day, so we may as well do so in a more private place." He turned to the guards closest to Merlin. "Kindly escort this _boy_," He held himself back from saying anything worse of the sorcerer, knowing that his son would not approve, "up to the Castle." He frowned as; once again, Arthur set himself in front of the boy, blocking him from harms way.

"I'm sure Merlin knows how to walk father. And he probably needs to stretch his legs." He frowned thoughtfully for a moment, eying Merlin curiously, "He flew here, you see." And he turned on his heel and began to lead the way cheerily to the Castle, whistling a merry tune, leaving his father standing frozen, astounded, Merlin chortling at the Prince's evidently successful attempts to rile up his father, and Gwen and Morgana giggling at his chirpy attitude. "Come on Merlin!" Arthur called breezily over his shoulder, making a show of talking casually to the young man while his father stood gaping at them. "I see you haven't got any faster with all the time off your duties! Come on! Chop chop!" Merlin chuckled again before moving to follow him, before hesitating briefly to thank the dragon in his strange, animal-like language, and then quickly catching up to Arthur, determinately ignoring Uther. Guards and maids alike chattered happily and chortled among themselves on the thankfully not too long trip to the Castle, eying Uther humorously.

…

Uther decided to deal with Cenred first.

His manservant's betrayal was clearly a very painful and touchy subject with Arthur, and it would appear that he was in denial. This being the case, Uther thought he would sentence Cenred first, therefore allowing Arthur even more time (he'd already had months) for the truth of the situation to sink in. So, feeling extremely smug and pleased with himself for his ingenious plan, Uther set about Cenred's trial without so much as a glance towards the servant. He sighed with a sense of great martyrdom. What his son would do without him he didn't know.

"Ah, Cenred," He said smoothly, smirking as the other King was forced to his knees to kneel before him. _In his rightful place._ Uther thought scornfully to himself. "Having fun?" He leered melodramatically at Cenred, baring his teeth in a feral grin of appreciation for the fact that he had his rival kneeling on the floor before him, forced to take whatever punishments or goading that came his way. He allowed the power to go to his head, glorying in the rush it gave him. He liked power.

"Loads, Uther." Cenred replied conversationally, refusing to lower himself to Uther's spiteful provocations, and attempting to smile friendlily at him. It came out as more of a snarl. "Although your hospitality is somewhat lacking. Tell me, is this usually how you treat your guests?" Scowling at the aggravating words and irritating tone of voice, Uther stepped forward off his throne and begun to advance upon the King. He had never been one for rising above provocation and being the bigger man. Unless of course, the provocation was coming from his son, who seemed to resent the calm, cool approach more than the annoyed, argumentative one. As Uther reached Cenred, he began to circle him slowly, like a predator stalking his prey. Sneering, he began his rehearsed speech (He had dreamed of this day).

"People of Camelot!" He began in the customary style, although if truth be told there were not many of Camelot's people present, their place being taken instead by Knights. "We appear to have a visitor in our castle. Welcome, King Cenred," He put a slight emphasis on the word "King" and allowed an amused smirk to twist his lips, giving the clear impression that he found the thought of Cenred as a King a bit of a joke. Cenred glowered at him from his place on the floor. "To our castle." He gave his arm a little flourish, brandishing it around the room in a cockily proud gesture. "I trust that you-" But as Uther went to say whatever it was that he was going to say, Cenred, who had somehow managed to retrieve his sword from his belt without any of the guard noticing, lunged forward, sharp blade gleaming in hand, and launched himself at Uther.

For a few, terrible, painfully long seconds, it seemed as if he would hit his target, but his actions had another effect; one that no one could have expected.

A dark figure launched itself out of the shadows, eyes flashing with indecision which quickly morphed into determination as he shoved Uther roughly aside. He had just one, brief, agonisingly short second in which to celebrate the safety of his King, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief, before the point of the sword, followed quickly by a few more inches of the rest of the blade, plunged itself into his hip and buried itself in the bone. For a moment, he looked surprised, then he looked slowly down at the sword protruding from his already-bloodied hip, and a strange kind of recognition revealed itself in his eyes. He stared down, half fascinated, half repulsed, at the sword buried in his flesh and the rapidly spreading pool of blood that was quickly soaking his shirt, before he fell down to the floor, as if in slow motion, and onto his back. As his breathing began to pick up in both speed and volume, time seemed to speed up again, and suddenly, people were running at him from every direction. There was one voice that echoed around the room louder than the rest, booming over the heads of the crowd in a pitch raised by panic. As Arthur leapt forwards, horror on his face and terror in his voice, the young man on the floor looked up at him in an oddly surprised expression that seemed too benign to be properly conscious. The one word that Arthur shouted was louder and more terrified than anything that anyone had heard before in the entire course of their lives.

"Merlin!"

**Thanks for reading! Please review! Sorry about the cliffie but I'm being kicked off the computer again and honestly I can't think of a way to extend the chapter. Keep reading!**


	21. Keeping Conscious

**Some very important things to say before I start this chapter. Won't take long:**

**1. I am so, so, so,**** so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for the long wait and the evil cliffie! I totally forgot about updating! I've been crazy busy lately and I got some other ideas for stories and I just kinda went crazy, so… yeah… SORRY! I'm a terrible fanfiction-ist. FORGIVE ME!**

**2. Like I said, I got some ideas for stories and I've started a new Merlin reveal fic called "The Other Side" Please read it if you've got time! It's just one chapter at the moment but I will extend it when I've got time and this story takes priority now.**

**3. Thanks to Tagrea for reminding me about my story! This chapter is for you! I hope it's worth the wait!**

_Previous Chapter…_

_Cenred lunged forward, sharp blade gleaming in hand, and launched himself at Uther… For a few seconds it seemed as if he would hit his target, but his actions had another effect… A dark figure launched itself out of the shadows, shoved Uther roughly aside… The blade plunged itself into his hip and buried itself in the bone… He stared down at the rapidly spreading pool of blood that was quickly soaking his shirt… "Merlin!"_

"Merlin!" Arthur screamed, eyes frozen into enormous, petrified orbs as he viciously pushed and shoved his way through the quickly growing crowd around the bleeding (he refused to think the word _dying_) man, not giving a second thought for the people he sent stumbling, tripping and bowling into each other, eyes only for the man gasping and wheezing in the centre of the panicked swarm. Arthur forced his eyes to focus on his friend's face rather than the large patch of sickly, oozing, vivid red blood that was soaking through the injured man's blue cotton shirt at an alarmingly fast rate, stretching all the way from just underneath his armpit, all the way down to the hem of the shirt, where it was dripping sickeningly to form a small, scarlet pool on his brown trousers, staining the fabric into a foreboding shade of maroon. "Merlin, are you alright?" Stupid question, he told himself, and he could read the same thought spinning through Merlin's head in his cerulean blue eyes, before they slipped into an unfocussed, glazed state. "Merlin!" Arthur shouted in alarm, shaking the man's arm and snapping his fingers in front of his eyes in an attempt to bring him back to Earth. "Merlin!"

"Wha…" Merlin started, giving his head a little shake to pull himself out of his reverie and blinking determinately against the threateningly and terribly final blackness of unconsciousness building up behind his eyes and blurring the edges of his vision. "Fine…" He gasped, forcing the words to slip from his mouth in an attempt to calm his master as he caught the frantic look in his eyes, "Fine… 'm fine… Just peachy…" He forced out a weak chuckle before letting his lids slide shut and trying to ignore the distressed whispering in the room that was keeping him from his precious beauty sleep. But of course, Arthur had other ideas. "Merlin!" He sounded hysterical. Merlin glared as he pushed his eyes open. He was fine! Why wouldn't everyone just leave him alone and let him sleep? "Fine!" He repeated in what he had wanted to be a firm, reassuring manner, but was deteriorated into a weak, lousy imitation by the breaking of his voice and pain twisting his face. "Don't worry… bout me…" He paused to draw in a ragged, hitching breath, "I'm fi-"

"Don't you dare say the word _fine_ Merlin, or I _swear_ I will punch you!" Merlin's eyes narrowed and he pouted at Arthur's words, but then he remembered something.

"Uther…" He muttered to himself, and then repeated his thought aloud to Arthur, making it into a query, "Uther?"

"He's fine Merlin, he's fine. You saved him." Arthur eyes Merlin in incredulity bordering on wonderment at this last statement and he cocked his head inquisitively. "Why?"

"Just… habit I guess…" Merlin forced another chuckle out through his lungs, which felt as though they were being squashed from all sides, "You Pendragons…" He shook his head mournfully, but there was a mischievous twinkle (albeit slightly dimmer than usual) in his eye that showed he was joking, "The number of… life threatening… situation you find yourselves… in…" He sighed, but the sound was far too weak and soft for the Prince's liking. It sent a dreading chill down his spine. He quickly turned, panic evident on his face, to the nearest pair of guards and barked out his orders desperately. "Gaius! Get Gaius! I don't care where he is, I don't care what he's doing! Just get him down here!" The guards simply stood and stared at him, wary and slightly disbelieving of his frenzied tone of voice, "Now!" He turned hurriedly back to Merlin as they scampered off, just in time to stop him falling asleep (He didn't allow himself to believe it was anything worse) again. "Merlin!" He groaned, half anxious, half exasperated.

"Hmm…" Merlin trailed off, eyes still closed. Arthur slapped him. "Ow!" He whined, fully awake now, as he pushed himself up onto his elbows to glare at the Prince. "That hurt!"

"No sleeping!" Arthur said sternly, eying him severely.

"Sorry sire." Merlin replied, resigned. Arthur sighed.

"Merlin! Merlin! Can you hear me?" Suddenly, Arthur was being shoved roughly out of the way and almost sent sprawling to the floor by Gaius who, it seemed, was surprisingly strong for his age. "Answer me! Merlin, answer me!" Another sharp, slapping sound rang through the room as Gaius's hand acquainted itself with the side of Merlin's face.

"Ow!" Merlin stared at Gaius through wide, baleful eyes. "Let me speak… and I will… Why is everybody… hitting me today?" He grumbled to himself, but his griping was made slightly less effective by the fact that he had to trail off every few seconds to take a large, ragged breath in through his clenched teeth. Arthur winced as the sound of Merlin's last breath came out as a whimper.

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed with relief. He quickly began to check Merlin over to see if it was okay to move him, before motioning to a couple of guards to carry him. "What happened?" He asked, as Merlin was escorted (in a manner of speaking) through a bunch of twisting corridors and spiralling staircases to his chambers.

"Nothing…" Merlin said vaguely as his eyes drooped shut and he sagged against the table he was laid on.

"Merlin!" Gaius's voice was stern, "Do you want me to hit you again? Because I will if you make me! Goodness knows I've had reason enough!" At this Merlin's eyes shot open to regard Gaius reproachfully.

"Well… not nothing…" He mumbled, but upon seeing the unimpressed set of Gaius's mouth and his disapproving eyes, he decided to expand, "I got stabbed."

"Your explanatory powers never cease to amaze me Merlin," Said Gaius dryly, raising his eyebrows, "Anything more useful?" Merlin merely shrugged, leaving Arthur to give a mournful eye roll at his friend's antics while he explained what had happened for him. Gaius was silent for a while once the situation had been explained, content to merely pack some kind of poultice onto Merlin's wound and rummage around in a nearby cupboard for some needed potions. "And what happened to King Cenred?" He asked after a while. Arthur opened his mouth to answer before realising that he didn't know. He'd been so absorbed in Merlin and his injury that he hadn't spared a second thought for Cenred and his current condition. Now that he remembered though, he suddenly felt a burning desire to know. He turned to one of the Knights who had aided Merlin's trip to Gaius's chambers, Sir Casper, for an answer.

"He was dealt with by Sir Alymere, who saw fit to run him through for his crimes." Sir Casper hastened to explain. Arthur gaped for a second at his words before finding his voice.

"He's… He's _dead_?"

"He's dead." Sir Casper confirmed, smiling grimly as Arthur gawped. It was silent for a second before Merlin and Arthur simultaneously let out a short, relieved bark of laughter. Merlin's trailed off into a groan of pain halfway through though and Gaius hurriedly turned back to him. Arthur noticed though, that Merlin's eyes seemed to shine slightly brighter than before, as though the news had fortified him. This look was quickly wiped from his face though when Gaius announced that he was going to have to give him a sleeping draught so he could work on healing him without unnecessary pain. Merlin did not look pleased.

"But Gaius!" He whined in between gasps.

"Here, swallow this." Gaius raised a small glass vial of a swirling, murky liquid to Merlin's lips, ignoring his protestations. Merlin glared and huffed for a moment before catching his mentor's stern gaze and reluctantly opening his mouth and taking a sip. He had just enough time to pull a disgusted face, before the potion took its effect and knocked him out cold. Gaius sighed, looking down at his ward, before getting to work.

"Will he be alright?" Arthur asked him, trying to sound brave but at the same time looking distinctly anxious at his friend's… _predicament_.

Gaius merely sighed, continuing with his work just to give his hands something to do, before shooting the Prince a look of blazing determination. "He'd better."

**Thanks for reading! Again, I'm soooooooooo so sorry about the long wait and horrible cliffy :S Sorry if there are any typos in this but I'm exhausted and I think I might actually collapse if I don't get to bed in the next few seconds *falls asleep on keyboard* *snores* *jerks awake* Crap! I fell asleep! :P If there are any mistakes about the effects of the stab wound then please tell me coz I know nothing about it and I've probably written complete crap. Thanks for reading. I like reviews *elbows suggestively* hint hint…**


	22. Change Begins

**Okay, okay, I know I say this A LOT (!) but I'm so, so sorry for the wait! I kinda hit a dead end and then my life's gone kinda crazy and stuff so I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Also, I've got the flu right now so if what I'm writing is utter NONSENSE then please let me know! Thanks guys (and girls!)! Oh yeah, one last thing, this fic is almost at an end! *sobs uncontrollably* I've got like a million fics I'm trying to work on all at once and my readers are getting impatient! So sorry if the next few chapters are a bit rushed!**

Merlin was floating. He was floating on a soft blanket of nothingness, black (or was it white?) was swirling around him like opaque wind and he was drifting peacefully, contentedly. "_Merlin… Merlin…_"

What was that? Was that the dragon? Sorry Kilgharrah, can't talk right now. I'm sleeping. Sleeping? Or drifting? Was there any difference? It was odd how clouded his mind felt when he was dreaming (He decided that he _was_ dreaming) or maybe he was just naturally dopey. Arthur would have liked that. It would have made him laugh. Merlin sighed. Despite all the lovely things about his state of drifting peace, he felt very lonely. There was no one else here to talk to – no Gwen to make him laugh, no Morgana to admire for her courage, no Gaius to tell him off, no Arthur to call him an idiot-

"Merlin! Merlin!" Merlin started. Suddenly the voices were sounded more solid, less like his imagination and decidedly less like the dragon. No, these voices were too high-pitched, even the more masculine ones. Wait… Was that Arthur?

"Merlin, you _idiot_, wake the hell up or I will put you in the stocks for a month!" Yep, definitely Arthur.

"Arthur!" Another voice chided gently, a woman's voice. _Gwen?_ "Look, I know you're worried, but need you threaten him even when he's_ unconscious_?"

"_Worried_?" Arthur spluttered indignantly, and Merlin could almost see the disbelief in his eyes, "I'm not _worried_! No I'm… I'm _concerned_!" Apparently realising, after a few moments of thought, that this was pretty much the same thing, he changed tack, "_Concerned_ that," he continued, "I will have no one to muck out my stables for the next few days if Merlin doesn't wake up soon!"

"Of _course_ you are Arthur," Another voice had entered the fray. It was, like Gwen's, feminine, but unlike Gwen's, it held an edge of command and smugness that Merlin had come to associate with nobles. Morgana. "Just worried about your _stables_," Merlin could imagine all too well the knowing look in Morgana's eye, and shade of puce it was goading Arthur's face into. "Oh yes, I'm _sure_ that's it. It's rather odd though don't you think, that you would be willing to sit around at Merlin's bedside for the last few days worrying about your stables when you could easily get one of the _stable_-boys to do it." Merlin's mental image of Morgana's face while she spoke suddenly included a challenging, and oh so innocently questioning raised eyebrow. If he could make his lungs function properly he would have chuckled. As it was, it was taking up all oh his effort just to keep him mind from drifting again.

"Well… I… Well…" Arthur was spluttering again, apparently trying to make up an acceptable excuse that would get the girls off his back. "Well… Merlin clears the stables out better than them!" He finally blurted out. Merlin could sense that someone was about to answer when their (most likely sarcastic) reply was cut off by his own crackly voice. "Really?" He croaked, forcing his eyes to creak open and letting his lips slide into a customary smirk, "And I thought I was useless!"

"Merlin!" Merlin jumped and nearly fell off his bed the sound of four adults practically screaming in his face. He hadn't realised that Gaius was nearby. He was sitting down a little while away on a stool, apparently having chosen not to take part in the three younger adults teasing. "Ow!" Merlin protested, glaring at them as their loud voices ricocheted around his head in the form of loud pounding and painful thumping. There were many chuckled and a chorus of "Sorry Merlin!" through which Merlin could be heard muttering about how their reactions were "ridiculous" and how he was "just asleep, it was nothing to worry about". Suddenly remembering why he was lying on his bed in the middle of the day surrounded by _concerned_ friends (he stifled a chuckle at that thought) he glanced down at his chest, which had been ridden of his shirt so as to be easier to heal. He gasped when he realised that there was nothing but a faint, brown scar there.

"What did you… How did you…" He spluttered in a very good imitation of Arthur before looking around and laying eyes on Gaius, "Did you do this?"

"It was so cool!" Arthur burst out as the physician opened his mouth to speak, "You should've seen it Merlin! We were just sitting around wondering what was going to happen next, when all of a sudden Gaius just gets up and storms out of the room. Then, when he gets back right, he's got this _huge_ book, and he starts saying all these _messed up_ words in some _weird_ language and then, you just healed, by magic! I mean," Arthur quickly changed the direction of his extremely child-like rant as the door burst open and his father strode majestically in, "by using methods completely legal and not at all frowned upon." Merlin quickly bit down on the floor to hold back a chuckle as Morgana elbowed Arthur sharply in the ribs and Gwen rolled her eyes to the low ceiling. Uther however, merely raised an eyebrow and eyes the physician in mild surprise for a moment before averting his eyes to his ward.

"I assumed by the sounds of shouting and screaming that the sorcerer- that _Merlin_ was awake," He began, having the unusually good grace to look ashamed as his son and his ward glared at him disgustedly. "It appears it is so." He paused for a moment, whether for dramatic effect, or for the opportunity for someone to speak it was uncertain, before launching back into speech. "I have come here," He said, gazing intently at a spot somewhere over Merlin's head, "to apologise for my actions towards you Merlin." He said. I Merlin hadn't known better he could've sworn he saw the hint of a blush on the King's face at the words. And indeed, his cheeks seemed to redden even more at the sound of the gasps that heralded his announcement, but he ploughed on with his speech none the less. "I am truly sorry for what I put you through and I hope that, in time, you will come to forgive me. Until then, I wish to offer you a pardon and to reinstate your position in the Royal Household as Prince Arthur's manservant. I would also be grateful if you would continue your previous role of protecting my son from harm, whether magic or otherwise. I wish I could give you more but I cannot be seen to be having one rule for you and another for the whole of Camelot. I hope you will accept this as a sign of my gratitude and good will." Uther finished his speech with a somewhat forced smile and attempted to look Merlin in the eye… and failing miserably. Merlin blinked. That he had not expected.

"I… Um… Ye… Of course." He stuttered, looking completely gobsmacked, and expression very similar to those of the other four gathered around his bed. "Yeah." Uther smiled again and gave a stiff nod before sweeping out of Merlin's and then Gaius's chambers as fast as his royal legs could carry him.

"Well," Gaius exclaimed as the door closed behind the King, leaving the rest of them in a state of shock, "That was unexpected."

"Tell me about it!" Arthur agreed, staring at Merlin, "I think my father thinks you're a hero Merlin!" Merlin resisted the urge to point out that there was no need to sound so miffed about it.

"Meh," He said instead, taking it in his stride (outwardly at least) "I wouldn't get used to it. Uther's a complicated man. He's unpredictable. And inconsistent. I'll probably be dead by tomorrow.

…

**6 years later - The celebration feast of Arthur's coronation**

"So," Said Merlin from his place to Arthur's right at the table. "How's your new manservant coming along? What was his name? Jeffrey, isn't it?"

"Urgh!" Arthur exclaimed, looking disgusted, "He's horrible! All "Yes sire; _of course_ sire; would you like me to lick your boots clean once I'm done sire?" It's sickening!" He declared, and he did look a little sick at the thought. "He's so spineless and oh so eager to please! I mean, if I wanted a girl for a servant I would have hired one! Urgh!" Merlin chuckled. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Arthur missed him.

"Honestly Arthur!" He sighed exaggeratedly, shaking his head, "When I was your manservant you complained about the disobedience and lack of respect, and now you've got Jeffrey and you complain about the boot licking and eagerness! Make your mind up!" Arthur laughed for a moment before turning back to seriousness, although a relaxed smile still rested upon his mouth.

"And you?" He asked, grinning, "How does it feel to be Court Sorcerer?" Merlin chuckled.

"You have no idea! I'm just surprised that I managed to live so long under your father's rule! Being made Court Sorcerer seems like too much!"

"Okay then, I take the position away." Said Arthur seriously and Merlin stared at him in shock for a moment before the new King burst out laughing. "Ha! Your face! Don't worry about it Merlin, I'm just messing with you!" Merlin gasped in indignation and glared at him for a moment before smirking secretively to himself and letting his magic flow through him as he caused one of the empty goblets on one of the servant's trays behind Arthur to whack him hard around the head.

"Ow!" Arthur growled, hand immediately jumping to his head to rub at the newly sore spot, "Merlin!"

"Yes?" Merlin asked innocently, smiling like an angel.

"You just hit me around the head with a goblet you idiot!" Said Arthur, enraged.

"I did not!" Merlin sounded outraged and slightly indignant.

"Merlin, I saw you! I saw your eyes turn gold!"

"Really?" Merlin sounded so genuinely puzzled that Arthur almost believed it, "Must've been a trick of the light."

"Merlin!"

The two men continued to argue amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the women eying them laughingly from further down the table. "Honestly!" Exclaimed Guinevere Arthur attempted to beat Merlin around the head with his own goblet only to end up slopping wine down the front of his shirt, "Will they ever change?"

"Never." Said Morgana, smiling at the image of almost brotherly… affection. "Never ever _ever_!" The two women continued to watch the men, chuckling as Arthur tried to throw his clean plate at Merlin's head only to have it mysteriously change into a beach ball before it got there, making the impact wholly less painful; and smiling at the thought of the years still to come.

**Wait! Don't go yet! No, this is not the end! I'm going to do one last chapter and I've got some ideas but it needs some more substance! Ideas anyone? Something really good to round of the story :) Please leave your ideas on the form of reviews, or if you have no ideas leave a review anyway! Thanks :)**


	23. The Last Chapter

**Okay Ladies and Gents, here it is. The last chapter *blinks hard* Not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry *sniff sniff* I just wanna say a quick thanks to all my reviewers and I love all you guys so **_**so**_** SO much! And this is a VERY original title name, I know. But I couldn't think of anything else so, Enjoy! :D**

**1 month after previous chapter… (Is that too confusing? :D)**

"Arthur! Arthur! ARTHUR!"

"What Merlin?" Arthur asked in a bored voice as he poked his head round the door of his private chambers, in which he had presumably been staring into the mirror or kissing his biceps or whatever it was that Kings did to make themselves feel Kingly and special. Merlin suppressed a snigger at the thought.

"They've arrived! They're finally here!"

"Who?"

"Lancelot and Gwaine of course! Who else?"

"Gwen? What's Lancelot doing with Gwen? Where are they? What are they-"

"Um, Arthur? _Gwaine_, not Gwen."

"Oh." Arthur froze, eyes darting around in a typical example of evasive embarrassment. "Well, I guess that's okay then." He promptly threw a pillow at Merlin when he snorted. "Shut up Merlin." He muttered as he swept royally out of his chambers and led the way down the corridor in a very superior manner, leaving Merlin to trail along behind him.

"You know Arthur," Merlin said chirpily as he caught up, "I think it's sweet that you're jealous. I think _Gwen _would just _love_ to hear about how you-"

"If you tell her…"

"What?" Asked Merlin, eying Arthur humorously and holding back another snort, "What are you going to do to me?"

"I… I'll…"

"You know Arthur," Merlin began, sounding speculative, "It really was a lot better for you when you were blissfully ignorant, wasn't it? That way you didn't have to be terrified of me."

"_What?_" Arthur spluttered, staring at Merlin as though he had just announced he was royalty, "_Terrified? _Of _you?_"

"You heard me." Merlin replied, stating it as though it were common knowledge and not a (in Arthur's view) completely irrational and ridiculous notion that he would have laughed off as a joke if it weren't for the serious tone of his ex-manservant's voice.

"Huh… Yeah right."

They continued bickering and squabbling like an old couple all the way down to the courtyard where their friends were waiting, drawing exasperated eyes and uncomprehending head-shakes as they went. Although it was plenty more than an every day occurrence, the King laughing and joking with the sorcerer who used to be his manservant was still an odd sight for the people to see. Their playful banter was pulled up short however, as they turned the corner into the courtyard, and Merlin walked slap-bang into Gwaine.

"Merlin!" Gwaine laughed raucously, pulling the man up and pulling him into a brotherly hug, during which the warlock got the stuffing knocked out of his back and was enveloped in the smell of alcohol.

"Gwaine!" He said exasperatedly as he pulled back, eying the tankard of mead held loosely in his friend's grip, "Already? It's barely passed breakfast time!"

"Yes, well. Can't wait around all day for the fun to start! Even before noon there are still girls to woo and drinks to down!"

"That sounds like the Gwaine I know." Arthur smiled as he joined in with their somewhat unorthodox greetings.

"Ah, Arthur!" Gwaine exclaimed as he caught sight of, as he liked to call the man, "The Royal Princess". "I hear you've been upgraded! I guess I must now greet you as 'My Queen'". Throwing a dark look at Merlin when he chuckled, Arthur shot Gwaine one last grin before turning to Lancelot. Merlin watched this slightly uncomfortable greeting with bated breath.

"Lancelot." Arthur greeted..

"Sire." Lancelot bowed his head respectively.

There was a moment's uncomfortable silence, before Arthur turned back to Gwaine. "Ah, but Gwaine, you haven't heard the biggest new yet, have you?"

"Oh, and what would that be?" Gwaine asked, trying not to look interested.

"Well, Merlin's news of course!" Arthur cried, clapping Merlin on the back as recognition flashed in the warlock's eyes. Oh yeah. "Merlin's biggest secret. His deepest, darkest secret that's been festering away unrecognised for all these years just-"

"Oh, get on with it Arthur!" Gwaine interrupted. Merlin chuckled and Lancelot chuckled.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, gesturing for Merlin to take over.

"Well," Merlin began, wondering how best to do this. "Lancelot, you want to tell him?"

"I'm fine thanks Merlin." Lancelot grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation while Gwaine looked increasingly impatient.

"Merlin." The latter growled, and Merlin heard clearly the "spit it out!" stuck to the end if that word.

"Okay, okay! Well, you remember when we were stuck in that castle, and you and Arthur were fighting for our freedom?" He asked, smirking as inspiration struck.

"Yeah?" Gwaine prompted.

"So you'll remember the fire that broke off the fight and gave us the distraction we needed to escape?"

"Yes?"

Merlin smiled for a second before raising his hand and facing it, palm forward, in the direction of Gwaine's goblet. "_Forbearne!_"

"Whoa!" Gwaine yelled in shock as his mead caught fire, lighting up in flames which carried on to dance around on the inside of his goblet like fireworks. He let his shock show for only a moment though (his expression made no less flabbergasted by the shortness of time) before he masked it over, putting on a cool, relaxed exterior. "Hey!" He called, glaring at Merlin playfully. "I was drinking that!" The laughter of the four men was almost continuous as they made their way inside and down the corridors that led to the main hall.

...

"So. Have you guessed why you're here yet?" Arthur asked, grinning as he looked down kindly at the two men standing before him. He wished he didn't have this stupid throne on this stupid raised platform that seemed to have a purpose only to separate him from everyone else and raise his status more than it already was. It didn't matter though. It would go soon enough.

"No your majesty." Lancelot replied respectfully while Gwaine merely shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head questioningly to the side.

"Well," Arthur began dramatically, "I have brought you both here," He paused yet again for dramatic effect, "To bestow upon you the Knighthood you deserve." There were gasps all round the room at the words, apart from Merlin sitting to the King's right, and Gwen sitting to the King's left, both of whom were grinning, having already been in on the plan.

"Knighthood?" The two men both asked, Lancelot sounding hopeful and a little disbelieving while Gwaine sounded slightly disgusted.

"Knighthood." Arthur replied, grinning widely at Lancelot's shocked expression and raising his eyebrows at Gwaine's gaping mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but Merlin got in there first.

"Come on Gwaine!" Merlin grinned cajolingly, "It'll be fun! Think of how much more mead you could buy with the pay from a Knighthood. And anyway," He smirked, "You're pretty much eligible for one anyway, even without Arthur's new rule." More gasps. "Wouldn't your father be proud?"

"You're a noble?" Arthur asked, staring at Gwaine, as the latter glared reproachfully at Merlin's wide grin. Gwaine switched his eyes to Arthur and opened his mouth to speak, but yet again Merlin was too quick.

"Yes. He. Is." He said emphatically, making each word a sentence. And a very smug sentence at that. "Isn't that right Gwaine?"

"You're an idiot Merlin!" Gwaine grumbled, squirming under the intense gazes of what felt like hundreds of eyes that were upon him. Merlin chuckled at the sight. It was odd to see Gwaine squirm.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Arthur responded, shocked out of his mind. Merlin laughed again.

...

"So, Merlin," Gwaine said, still eying Merlin reproachfully as the meeting was adjourned. "How come you're dressed like a noble man? And what's with the oh so special position sitting by the King up on his royal people's block?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you!" Merlin exclaimed, slapping a hand to his forehead the way he did when he'd done something wrong, but grinning all the same. "I'm Court Sorcerer!"

"You're what?" Lancelot questioned.

"Court Sorcerer! It's new. It's kind of an insult actually, seeing as I'm a warlock not a sorcerer, but I guess Arthur's heart was in the right place!"

"Arthur made a whole new position for you?" Gwaine asked, impressed despite himself.

"Whoa, he must really like you!" Lancelot exclaimed.

"Yeah well," Merlin shrugged it off, playing it cool but all the while feeling a warm, friendly glow in his stomach. "I am pretty great."

"Pretty great? You're the best!" Gwaine cried, clapping him on the back.

"Yep. Best ever." Lancelot agreed, smiling at him as the warlock began to blush.

"Well, you're alright." Came a voice from behind them, and they turned to see Arthur grinning as he punched Merlin chummily on the arm, to which there was lots of grumbling and muttering.

Lancelot snorted as he turned to Gwaine, "Will they ever change?"

"Never." Gwaine grinned, raising a tankard of ale he'd managed to find unattended in the direction of his two friends, "Never ever _ever_."

**Thanks for reading! Sorry for the cheesy ending, couldn't resist :) ****I just **_**had**_** to put Gwaine in there, he's just too awesome! :O I shouldn't be so cheery! This is the end of my fic! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! THE WORLD IS OVER! :( Oh well, you can still look forward to my Author's Note coming up, telling you about all my amazing fics that are still on my profile just waiting to be read :) Enjoy!**


	24. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone! Welcome to my last ever author's note of this story! :O It's so emotional! Anyway, I've been loving all the reviews and feedback on this story, I wanna hug you all! :D :D Here you go, virtual hugs all round!**

**Okay, second thing! I've published some more Merlin fics on my profile if you wanna check them out! The First one is called "The Other Side" Summary: ****When Merlin flees Camelot, he is forced to choose between his destiny and his life. Running into old friends, he takes up a different fight on the other side. The darker side. Can someone pull him back before it is too late? NO SLASH!**

**My second Merlin fic, for people who aren't really interested in that kind of thing, is a Hunith/Balinor story called "The Story That Was Never Told" Summary: The untold story of Hunith and Balinor's love... How they met, how they fell in love, and how they were forced to part... The whole story...**

**Sorry, slash lovers, I'm not a fan! Not coz I'm homophobic (I'm not I swear!) I just don't like writing people out of character! You will find no size, shape or form of slash in my writing unless you're wearing slash tinted glasses! Sorry!**

**Thirdly, mentions! Thank you everyone who reviewed this story! Here goes:**

**Thanks to cooking-ninja18, ruby890, FireChildSlytherin5, BabyGlover, kirallie, wizardfantasy, MirrorFlower and DarkWind, Fay of the Ink and the Paper, headwig1010, musicdiva37, AlbusProngsRebeccaPotter, yutakayumi, Elysion1879, Kergma, Ichigo'sDragon, fire dragon heart, Maybe Its Not A Myth, LightningThiefLover, Tagrea, BeckBoo12221, mini-tsunade, 32-star, laughsalot12, ashleighh123, Dawn that Shines, and LoBall! I loved all of your reviews! If I've left anyone out or misspelled anyone's pen name then please feel free to PM me to tell me what an awful person I am! A special thanks again to FireChildSlytherin5 who made my 100****th**** review! YAY! Never reached 100 before! Thank you! I love you so much! And thanks to MirrorFlower and DarkWind who left the most reviews and only left out 3 chapters so far! I love you guys!**

**Anyway, thank you everyone for reading and supporting this story! Please check out my other fics! Au revoir!**

**Rawr52**


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